By
Gary Steele
Poker has its own set of unique terms and jargon, and more are being added every week as its popularity continues to expand. There are names for particular starting hands, such as pocket rockets and big slick. There are terms describing poker scenarios, such as a bad beat. It would take a week to write them all, but I think the following list will give you a good idea of the terms you will hear used on a regular basis as you play.
- Offsuit
- Two hole cards of different suits such as one Heart and one Spade.
- Open Ended Straight
- A four card incomplete straight that can use a card on the high or low end to make it a five card straight. Ex. 4, 5, 6, 7 can use either a 3 or an 8 to complete the hand.
- Out
- A card which could make your hand a winner in one of the following betting rounds, such as a third card of the same suit to make your flush on the Turn or River.
- Overbet
- To bet more than anyone without a very good hand could reasonably call to chase the other players out of the pot. Overbetting is usually used to scare other players who may be on a draw.
- Overcard
- When the cards in a players hand are higher than the cards on the table. Ex. A player is holding Ace/King, but the highest community card is a Queen. The player is holding two “overcards.”
- Overpair
- When the pair in a player’s hand is higher than the top pair which can be made using the community cards.
