etiquette
GG
GG is chat shorthand for 'good game'. It is said at the end of a game or a tournament as a sign of sportsmanship, and in online poker players type it after a hand or when somebody is eliminated.
GL
GL is chat shorthand for 'good luck'. Players type it at the start of a tournament or a hand to wish the opponents well.
Going South
Going south means secretly taking chips off the table during a cash game so that they cannot be lost. It is also known as ratholing and is against the rules in most poker rooms.
Hit and Run
Hit and run means leaving a cash game right after winning a big pot, without giving the others a chance to win their money back. It is legal but is considered bad etiquette.
Hollywood
To Hollywood is to act or talk in an exaggerated way to encourage a specific reaction from an opponent. It is often used for deceptive acting, such as pretending to have a hard decision.
Horsing
Horsing is the habit of passing a small amount of money to another player after winning a pot. It is also called scooting.
Intentional Flashing
Intentional flashing is the deliberate showing of one or more hole cards to an opponent or to the whole table. The player does it on purpose, not by accident.
Jagging
Jagging is a cheater's technique of marking cards with a fingernail or a device. The marks let the cheater recognize cards from the back.
Jog
A jog is an unevenly stacked deck used by a cheater to mark where his partner should cut. The card sticks out a little so the cut can be made at that place. It is also called a step.
Kibitzer
A kibitzer is a spectator who watches a game and comments on it, usually without being asked.
Marked Cards
Marked cards are cards that have been illegally altered so that their value can be read from the back. They give an unfair advantage to a cheater.
Mechanic
A mechanic is a cheat who manipulates the deck, for example by dealing from the bottom instead of the top, or from the middle, or by dealing the second card instead of the first.
Miscall
A miscall is when a player announces the value of his hand incorrectly. It can be a real mistake or an attempt to mislead.
Neocheater
A neocheater is a player who wins by neocheating: simple, invisible and highly effective cheating techniques.
Neocheating
Neocheating means simple, invisible and highly effective cheating techniques. It is a modern form of cheating that is hard to see.
NH
NH is chat shorthand for 'nice hand'. A player types it to congratulate an opponent who won a pot with a good hand or played it well.
Peg
To peg cards is to mark the fronts of cards with a pin, tack or ring so that the cheater can later tell their rank by touch. It is a cheating technique.
Pegging
Pegging is a cheater's technique of marking cards with a fingernail or a device, so that the marks can be found later. It is the same as pricking.
Pricking
Pricking is a cheating technique in which a cheater marks cards with a fingernail or a device. The marks help him to recognize the cards later.
Punctuating
Punctuating is a cheater's technique of marking cards with a fingernail or a device. It is the same as pricking.
Quitting Time
Quitting time is an agreed time to end a poker game, also called a curfew. When the time comes, the game stops, often after the current hand or round.
Rabbit Hunting
Rabbit hunting is looking through the undealt cards of the deck after a hand has ended, to see which cards would have come. Most casinos do not allow it.
Rap
A rap is a knock on the table by a player to show that he checks. It is a way to check without speaking.
Rathole
To rathole is to take chips off the table during a cash game, or to leave after a winning session and return with only a small buy-in. In many places, it is against the rules.
Ratholing
Ratholing is taking chips or money off the table during a cash game. It is not allowed in most public card rooms and is bad etiquette in home games. It is also called going south.
Setup
A setup is a pair of suited decks, each with a different colored back, that replaces the decks in play. Card rooms use two decks to keep the game fast: one is shuffled while the other is dealt.
Show Cards
Show cards are the exposed cards in stud, the cards that are dealt face up. Opponents can see them.
Slow Roll
A slow roll is the act of delaying showing a winning hand at showdown, or pausing before a call with a very strong hand, to make the opponent think that he has won. It is considered very bad etiquette.
Soft-Play
Soft-play is a form of collusion in which a player does not bet or raise as he normally would, to avoid winning money from a friend or partner. It is cheating and is forbidden in cardrooms.
Splash the Pot
To splash the pot is to throw chips into the pot in a careless way, so that the dealer cannot count how much has been bet. It is against the rules and etiquette of most card rooms and home games.
Splitting Blinds
Splitting blinds is an agreement between the small and big blinds, when nobody else has entered the pot, to take back their blinds and skip the hand. It is also called chopping.
Squared Deck
A squared deck is an evenly stacked deck that is ready for cutting or dealing. The dealer taps the cards into a neat pile.