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Editorial: Less common gambling glossary terms

Nobody wants to be seen as a beginner, even if they are, so most amateur gamblers spend a considerable amount of time memorizing game rules and strategies only to overlook one underestimated element: the gambling glossary. Nothing is more telling than a player that doesn't talk the talk. Here at GP we're happy to provide a gambling glossary for all your favorite games, but we readily admit that it's impossible to capture the complete casino subculture in any single glossary.

The language of poker is especially hard to encapsulate. With nine tense players around a single table, sometimes that language gets pretty colorful. These days it seems like every pro has their own catch phrase and every amateur has their own obscure slang. We won't attempt to tackle them all, but here are some of our favorite poker terms that are not frequently defined. (For more basic poker terminology, see our poker gambling glossary.)

Action. This is all the activity at a poker room's tables and tournaments. As you might imagine, a room with little action isn't very gratifying.

Aggressive. This is a popular playing style characterized by strong betting.

Ammunition. Your chips are your ammunition.

Bad Beat. When a good hand (usually yours) is unexpectedly beaten by a weaker hand that hits a lucky draw. A bad beat is often followed by a nasty case of tilt.

Bot. A computer-operated player sometimes used in cheating scams.

Calling Station. A passive and loose player that calls every bet but never raises. Calling stations, though irritating, often mean a bigger payout for the other players at the table which is why they're also sometimes called a "donor."

Collusion. A cheating scam involving two or more players. They increase their odds of winning by sharing hand information.

Donkey. A donkey is like a fish but more frustrating. Donkeys are blatantly bad players, but unlike fish they tend to get more lucky breaks.

Freeze Out. To freeze a player out is to use your superior chip stack to keep them out of the betting.

Limp. To limp is to eke into the next round by making the minimum bet.

Loose. This is a popular playing style characterized by seeing a lot of flops and playing many hands of questionable value.

Maniac. A loose aggressive player. These guys go big on anything and everything, hence the name.

Monster Hand. This term is generally applied to one of the top starting hands like Aces or Kings but may also be used in reference to a really good showdown hand.

Muck. To fold your hand; in online poker this also means to fold your hand without showing it.

Passive. This popular playing style is the polar opposite of aggressive; passive players see few hands, bet weakly, and fold readily.

Rabbit. Yet another warm and fuzzy term applied to easy prey at the poker table. Rabbit may also refer to a rabbit cam-a device that shows spectators the players' face down cards.

Reveal. The part of the showdown where players reveal their hole cards.

River Rat. A player that stays in the game with a bad hand and then gets a lucky draw on the river. In other words, this is the least popular guy at the table.

Suckout. Suckouts are as bad as they sound, and generally a river rat is present. A suckout is when a player with a consistently good hand gets beaten by a player that hits their draw.

The Nuts. When your hole cards work with what's on the board to give you the best possible hand.

Tight. This is a popular playing style characterized by conservative betting and the pursuit of only premium hands.

Tilt. A mental state that makes it hard for you to concentrate on the game. Tilt usually comes about as a result of fatigue or frustration.

Trapped. When a player overestimates the strength of their hand and bets themself into a big loss.

15-Jan-2010, 08:57

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