Articles-Glossary of Terms

Dog	Short for Underdog, in a heads-up battle, the person who has the lesser chance to win.
Double Belly Buster Straight Draw	Cards that could make a straight with two different cards. For example, 24568. In this case the three would make a straight and the seven would make a straight. The term gets special attention because when a player holds the right cards and makes either straight, it’s extremely hard to read.
Draw	You need another card to actually make your hand. You have 10s,Js and the flop comes Ks, 5s, 2h. You need another spade to make a flush or to complete your hand.
Drawing Dead	The act of trying to make a hand that, even if you are successful, is a loser. If you're hoping to make a straight, and your opponent already has a flush.
Early Position	The three seats that are first to act before the flop.
Flop	The first three community cards. They are dealt face up at the same time.
Flush	When all five cards of the same suits. (All five hearts, for example).
Flush Draw	An instance where you hold two suited cards and two of the same suit appear on the flop. You need just one additional suited card to make a flush with two cards (the turn and the river) to come. Those two cards are loosely termed the "draw" so you have a flush draw.
Free Card	Sometimes the best things in life are free. In poker, a free card occurs when you get to see the next card without paying for It (betting), usually because everybody checks, including yourself.
Freeroll	(1) A tournament without a financial buy-in. Usually to get into a freeroll tournament you have to "earn" it, usually by playing a certain amount of time. (2) A chance to win even though at a particular point in the game you are tied with another player. For instance you both might have top pair with similar kickers (king-queen, for example) but you have a flush draw as well (The board shows K-9-6 with the 9-6 matching the suit of your king). The worst that can happen is a split pot (which isn't bad) and the best that can happen is you complete your flush and win the pot. Sometimes referred to as a free ride or a free card.
Full House	A five-card poker hand that consists of three like cards and a pair (4-4-4-7-7, for example). The only hands that can beat the full house are four of a kind, a straight flush, a royal flush (or if you're unlucky, a bigger full house.) Also called Boat or Full Boat.
Gutshot Straight	Any hand that needs a card between two others to complete the straight. For instance, if you have K-Q with 10-9 on the board, you need a jack to make a straight. You've got to get hit in the middle or gut to reach your goal. Also more colorfully called a belly buster.
Heads Up	When just two players square off against each other for a pot, usually if everyone drops out of the hand or if, as in a tournament, when only two players remain.
House	The term used to indicate the host of the game. The casino is often referred to as the house.
Implied Odds	Numbers that indicate what you can expect based on what kind of hand you're holding.
Jackpot Game	A poker game that offers a secondary prize, usually for having a very good hand (aces-full) beaten by a better hand. The money for a jackpot is often raked from each pot.
Kicker	The unpaired card used to determine the better of two similar hands. For instance, K-10 and your opponent has Q-10. If the flop shows a ten, you both have a pair of tens but your king is a higher kicker (than the queen) so you have a better hand. The concept of the kicker is something many people overlook when playing hold'em.
Kill Game	A game that requires an out-of-turn or extra big blind by a person who wins two pots in a row.
Kojak	The slang term for K-J, named after the TV detective played by Telly Savalas (Kojak), an avid poker player himself.
Ladies	Queens.
Late Position	One of the last three betting positions in a hand.
Lead (in)	To be the first player to bet after the big blind.
Limp In	To call a bet rather than raise. Some people will limp in with a strong hand rather than take the risk of raising and having opponents fold. Others might limp in with a mediocre hand in hopes it will improve (not usually a good move.)
Limp Raise	To raise a minimal amount, usually when you have a very good hand, in hopes that someone on a drawing hand or lesser hand will re-raise.
Lock	A hand that can't be beaten, aka the nuts or the cinch.
Loose Player	Someone who likes to play a lot of hands. (See Maniac)