slang
Jake
Jake is slang for a jack, the card between the ten and the queen.
Jam
To jam is to move all your chips into the pot, also called shoving. A jam is an all-in bet or raise. Players often say that they 'jammed' a hand.
Jammed Pot
A jammed pot is a pot that has been raised the maximum number of times. In limit games, the raises are capped, so a jammed pot is a pot where nobody can raise any more.
Jesse James
Jesse James is a nickname for a starting hand of four and five, 4-5. The name comes from the outlaw Jesse James, who was reportedly killed by a .45.
Jinx
A jinx is a curse of bad luck. Players say a person or an action jinxes a result when they believe it brings misfortune.
John
John is slang for a jack. A pair of johns is a pair of jacks.
John Juanda
John Juanda is a nickname for a pair of jacks, J-J. The name refers to the professional player John Juanda.
Jonah
A Jonah is an unlucky player, one who seems to bring bad luck to himself or to the game. The word is used mostly as a joke.
Katie or Katy
Katie or Katy is a nickname for a starting hand of king and ten, K-T. The name comes from the sound of the letters K and T.
King Crab
King Crab is a nickname for a starting hand of king and three, K-3. The name comes from the shape of the three, which looks like a crab on its side.
Kojack
Kojack is a nickname for king-jack, K-J, of any suits. It is the same as Kojak.
Kojak
Kojak is a nickname for a hand with king and jack, K-J. It is named after the TV detective.
Komodo Dragoned
Komodo dragoned means that a player's hand is defeated because an opponent completes a straight or flush on the river. It is a slang term for a bad beat.
Ladies
Ladies is a nickname for a pair of queens. It comes from the queens being the 'ladies' of the deck. The phrase is used for pocket queens, as in 'I looked down at ladies'.
LDO
LDO is poker forum slang for "Like Duh, Obviously" or "LOL, Duh, Obviously," used to say that something is obvious.
Lid
A lid is the top card of the deck, the card that is about to be dealt or burned next.
Liner
A liner is a face card. The name comes from the line you can see when the card is face down and its lower right corner is lifted.
Little Cat
Little cat is a nonstandard hand that is sometimes given value in home games: five cards from 3 to 9 with no pair, in some circles 3 to 8. It ranks above a big dog and below a big tiger. It is also called little tiger.
Little Dog
Little dog is a nonstandard hand that is sometimes given value in home games: five cards from 2 to 7 with no pair. It ranks below a big dog and above a straight.
Little Oldsmobile
Little Oldsmobile is a nickname for a pair of eights, 8-8. It is named after the Oldsmobile car model number 88.
Live One
A live one is a not very knowledgeable player who plays a lot of hands. Good players like to have him at the table, because he loses money.
LMAO
LMAO is chat shorthand for 'laughing my ass off', a stronger version of LOL. In poker chat it is used to react to an extremely funny or unlikely situation.
LOL
LOL is chat shorthand for 'laughing out loud'. People type it when something is funny. In online poker chat it is used in the same way, often after an unlikely result.
Lollipop Hand
Lollipop hand is a nickname for ace-queen, A-Q.
Luck Out
To luck out is to outdraw and beat a good hand. The player who was behind catches the card he needs.
Maniac
A maniac is a very loose and very aggressive player who bets and raises with many hands, often when it is not a good idea. He puts lots of chips into the pot and makes the game very wild.
Mark
A mark is a player at the table who attracts attention because he is inexperienced and weak, so the others expect to win his money. The words 'fish' and 'sucker' mean the same.
Maverick
Maverick is a nickname for queen-jack, Q-J, of any suits.
MHIG/MHING
MHIG means "My Hand Is Good"; MHING means "My Hand Is No Good." Poker players use them when discussing whether their hand wins.
Miracle Card
A miracle card is a card that is very unlikely to appear but gives a player a winning hand when he was almost certain to lose. A player who needs one of the last cards in the deck and gets it has caught a miracle card.
Mites And Lice
Mites and lice is slang for two pair of twos and threes, or a full house of those cards. The small cards are compared with tiny insects.
Monster
A monster is an extremely strong hand that is likely to be the best at the table, such as a set, a full house, quads or a straight flush.