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With Scorum poker in the works I thought it would be fun and knowledgeable for some to write about poker lingo you may hear around the table. There are way more than 12. So many that somebody actually wrote a book about it. The Slang of Poker by Tom Dalzell.

I chose these 12 because they're ones I use often, one’s I hear often around the table, read In Articles and on TV or videos.

Source: https://pixabay.com/photo-55510/

These are in no particular order but the first slang is THE NUTS. If a player ask you if you have the Nuts or you here one say they have the Nuts it means they have the best possible hand. It's always a great feeling when you have the nuts but can be disappointing when it doesn't get paid off.

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A good option when having The Nuts is SLOW PLAYING/TRAPPING which is the next lingo I'd like to talk about. To slow play or trap someone is to give signs of weakness with a very strong hand like The Nuts. Hoping to get your opponents to bet into you and hang them selves in the end. 

If you I notice a player winning a lot of pots and showing The Nuts or close to The Nuts there's a saying for that. It's called the player’s ON A HEATER/RUSH. When a player is on A Heater watch out! They will BINK every flop SUCK OUT on the river, deliver everyone from the FISH/DONKEYS to the NITTY players COOLERS and can put the whole table ON TILT.

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I'm sure some of you were just thinking “wait you through six of them at me at once. Please explain what that last sentence meant”. No worries I wasn't going to leave you hanging. 

To Bink in Texas Hold'em means to hit your cards or make your hand on the Flop, Turn or River. A Suck Out is when you have the best hand in the beginning but your opponent Binks a card they need to beat you. If you hear the word Fish or Donkey it's describing a player that is weak, not a good player and usually spews money at the table. Nit is a player that doesn't play very many hands but when they do they are top hands and usually doesn't take too many risks. A Cooler is losing to a hand like The Nuts when you have the second Nuts. (AA vs KK). On tilt means you get upset/ emotional about a situation and start taking more risks than you usually do. It may sound harsh but when a player is On Tilt it is a good time to pick up some chips from them or bust them.

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It sucks when someone's on a Rush/ Heater and you're getting nothing but RAGS. Rags refers to having bad cards. Cards that are not suited or connected in any way and the cards won't have a face on them. It is great to be the player on a Rush/Heater and have a CALLING STATION at your table. The Calling Station is slang for a player that you can always count on calling your bet. Sometimes you will here the phrase shortened Station.

I would have to say (with plenty of experience) that being the BUBBLE boy is one of the worst feelings in poker. The Bubble is the person that busts out of the tournament right before the paid position. All that work for nothing. The Bubble can also be an opportunity for player with a good chip stack to take advantage of the small chip stacks. Since no one wants to get busted on the Bubble.

RECAP OF THE 12 DIFFERENT SLANGS AND PHRASES

  • The Nuts
  • Slow Playing/Trapping
  • On a Heater/Rush
  • Bink
  • Suck Out
  • Fish/Donkey
  • Nit
  • Cooler
  • On Tilt
  • Rags
  • Calling Station
  • Bubble


Hope you enjoyed the 12 I chose. Maybe even learned something new. I'd like to know in the comment section some poker slang you use or your favorite lingo that I didn't cover!