Card Game Glossary

Definitions for 1000 card-game terms.

3-Bet Pot: A pot where there has been a raise and a re-raise preflop.
Accordion: A one-pile solitaire that rarely wins.
Ace: The highest or lowest ranking card in most card games, usually marked with a single pip or the letter A.
Aces Around: Four Aces of different suits in Pinochle, worth 100 points.
Aces Up: A solitaire where you try to discard all cards except aces.
Acol System: British bidding system.
Action: The amount of money wagered, or an opportunity to bet.
Add-On: Optional purchase of additional chips at a set time.
Adjustment Score: Score modification by director due to irregularity.
Adjutant: Partner role in Mighty.
Advantage Player: A player who uses legal methods to gain an edge.
Age: Having the advantage of acting last, or the player in that position.
Agram: A last-trick game played in Africa and Middle East.
Air-Cushion Finish: Embossed pattern helping cards slide smoothly.
Alcatraz Coup: Deliberately trapping partner's high card to avoid a worse result.
Alert Bridge: Notification that a bid has special conventional meaning.
All-In: Betting all remaining chips in a single wager.
All-In Insurance: Optional side bet protecting against bad beats.
Alpha: Rate at which you bluff relative to value bets.
Angle Shooting: Using unethical but not explicitly illegal tactics.
Announce Bridge: Stating the meaning of specific bids.
Ante: A forced bet that all players must contribute before the deal in poker games.
Ante Structure: The schedule of ante amounts in a tournament.
Arbitrage: Betting on all outcomes to guarantee profit.
Around: Four cards of the same rank in Pinochle.
Asking Bid: Bid requesting specific information.
Assist: Partner of dealer accepting the turned trump.
Asso Piglia Tutto: Italian game meaning "Ace Takes All".
ATM: A very bad player who gives away money like an ATM.
Attack: Playing cards against an opponent in Durak.
Attitude Signal: Showing whether you want partner to continue a suit.
Australian Patience: A solitaire variant unique to Australia.
Auto-Play: Computer automatically playing obvious moves.
Auto-Post: Automatically posting blinds.
Auto-Rebuy: Automatic replenishment of stack to starting amount.
Average Stack: The mean chip count across all remaining players.
Avoidance Play: Keeping dangerous opponent off lead.
Baby Straight: The wheel straight (A-2-3-4-5).
Baccarat: A comparing card game between player and banker hands.
Baccarat Banque: A three-hand Baccarat variant.
Back Hand: The five-card hand in Pai Gow Poker.
Backdoor: Completing a draw by hitting on both turn and river.
Backer: Someone who finances another player's buy-in for a share of profits.
Bad Beat: Losing a hand despite having been a statistical favorite to win.
Bad Beat Jackpot: Progressive jackpot for losing with a very strong hand.
Bag: An overtrick in Spades, 10 bags incur a 100-point penalty.
Bagging: Placing chips in a bag at end of day in multi-day tournament.
Baker's Dozen: A solitaire with thirteen tableau piles.
Balancing: Making a bid when the auction is about to end to keep it alive.
Baloot: A Saudi Arabian trick-taking game similar to Belote.
Ban: Points or score units in Chinese games.
Banco: The banker hand in Baccarat.
Banco Prime: Having priority to become banker in Chemin de Fer.
Banking Game: A game where players compete against the house rather than each other.
Banking Pai Gow: Taking the banker position in Pai Gow.
Bankroll: The total amount of money a player has available for gambling.
Bankroll Management: Controlling how much to risk based on total funds.
Basra: A Middle Eastern fishing game.
Basset: An old European gambling game.
Basta: A declaration to end bidding and play in Italian games.
Bastoni: The batons/clubs suit in Italian cards.
Bath Coup: Ducking an honor lead while holding Ace and one small.
Bauernschnapsen: Four-player partnership version of Schnapsen.
Bayesian Updating: Revising probability estimates based on new information.
Beggar My Neighbor: Simple war-like game also called Strip Jack Naked.
Belote: A French trick-taking game, or the declaration of King and Queen of trump.
Bet Sizing: Choosing the amount to bet strategically.
Bet Sizing Tell: Pattern in bet amounts that reveals hand strength.
Bet-Call: Betting then calling a raise.
Bet-Fold: Betting then folding to a raise.
Better Minor: Opening 1♣ or 1♦ based on quality when both are 3 cards.
Bezique: French two-player game emphasizing melds.
Bian Xing: Transformer card (J♦) in Gong Zhu.
Bid: A declaration of how many tricks a player expects to win, common in games like Bridge and Spades.
Big Blind: The larger of two forced bets in poker, posted by the player two seats left of the dealer.
Big Gin: Going gin with all 11 cards melded in Gin Rummy.
Big Slick: Ace-King as starting cards.
Big Two: Chinese climbing game also called Choh Dai Di.
Bink: To win a tournament, especially a large one.
Binomial Coefficient: Mathematical formula for choosing k items from n items.
Bisca: Portuguese version of Briscola.
Bita: Successfully defended cards placed in the discard pile.
Blackout Game: Another name for Oh Hell.
Blackwood: A bidding convention to ask for aces and kings.
Bleeding: Discarding high hearts to avoid taking tricks.
Blind: A forced bet made before cards are dealt, typically in poker games.
Blind Level: A period of time with fixed blind amounts before they increase.
Blind Nil: Bidding nil before looking at your cards, worth 200 points.
Blind Solitaire: Playing without seeing any face-down cards.
Blocked: No legal moves available in solitaire.
Blocker: A card in your hand that reduces combinations opponent can hold.
Blocking Bet: A small bet to prevent a larger bet from opponent.
Bluff: To bet or raise with a weak hand in order to deceive opponents into folding better hands.
Bluff Catcher: Hand that beats only bluffs.
Board: A predetermined number of tricks that must be bid in some Spades variants.
Board Coverage: Having hands that work well with all possible boards.
Board Texture: The characteristics of community cards (wet, dry, coordinated).
Board-a-Match: Scoring one point per board won in bridge teams.
Boat: A full house.
Bomb: A powerful combination that beats normal plays, often four of a kind.
Bomb Pot: Hand where everyone puts money in and flop dealt immediately.
Bonus: Extra points awarded for special achievements.
Book: A set of tricks that must be won before additional tricks count toward the contract in games like Bridge.
Border: The margin around the face of a card.
Boston: Bidding to take all 13 tricks in Spades.
Botifarra: Catalan trick-taking game.
Bouillotte: Old French gambling game ancestor of poker.
Bounty: A prize awarded for eliminating a specific player.
Bounty Tournament: Tournament awarding prizes for eliminating players.
Bower: The Jacks in Euchre, serving as highest trumps.
Boxman: Supervisor at craps table, but term used in card rooms too.
Brag: British bluffing game, or a strong three-card hand.
Brag Hand: Three-card hand in historic British game Brag.
Break-In Dealer: New dealer learning the job.
Breaking Hearts: Playing the first heart, after which hearts can be led freely.
Brelan: Historic French game, name also means three of a kind.
Bridge: The arching of cards during a riffle shuffle.
Bring-In: Forced bet made by player with worst upcard in Stud games.
Brisca a Cinque: Five-player Italian variant.
Briscola: The trump suit in Italian games, or the game itself.
Briscola Chiamata: Five-player variant of Briscola with bidding.
Broadway: An Ace-high straight (10-J-Q-K-A).
Brush: Employee managing waiting lists in poker room.
Bubble: The position just before reaching the money in a tournament.
Bubble Factor: How close being on the bubble affects strategy.
Build: Combining table cards to create a sum for later capture in Cassino.
Building: Playing cards in sequence on tableau or foundation piles.
Bullet: Penalty points for failing contracts in Preferans.
Buraco: A Brazilian rummy game similar to Canasta.
Burn: To discard the top card of the deck face-down, often done before dealing community cards in poker.
Bury Cards: Setting aside cards from hand in Pinochle.
Bust: To exceed 21 in Blackjack, resulting in an automatic loss.
Busto: Broke, having lost your entire bankroll.
Button: A marker indicating the dealer position, which rotates clockwise after each hand.
Button Straddle: Straddle from button position.
Buy-In: The amount of money required to enter a poker game or tournament.
Call: To match the current bet in poker without raising.
Callbreak: Nepali trick-taking game similar to Spades.
Calling Machine: Someone who calls too frequently.
Calling Station: A passive player who calls too often and rarely raises or folds.
Canape System: System bidding shorter suit before longer suit.
Canasta: A meld of seven cards of the same rank, or the game itself.
Canasta Mixed: A canasta containing wild cards.
Canasta Natural: A canasta with no wild cards.
Canfield: A popular gambling solitaire variant.
Capped Range: A range with a defined maximum strength.
Cappelletti: Convention for competing over opponent's 1NT.
Card Counting: Tracking the ratio of high to low cards to gain an advantage.
Card Dead: Extended period of receiving poor starting hands.
Card Rack: Receiving consistently strong hands over a period.
Cards Speak: Your hand value is determined by the cards, not your declaration.
Carte: Call for a third card in Baccarat.
Carte Blanche: A hand with no court cards in Piquet, earning a bonus.
Case Keeper: Device tracking which cards have been played in Faro.
Casino War: Simplified casino version of War.
Cassino: An Italian-American fishing game with building and capturing.
Cavalier: The Knight rank in tarot decks, between Jack and Queen.
Cell: A space for storing one card in FreeCell.
Chancho: Latin American matching game like Pig.
Chase: Calling bets with a draw.
Chasing Rainbow: Drawing to an unlikely hand.
Cheat Game: Bluffing game about playing cards face-down and lying.
Check: To decline betting while retaining the right to act later in the round.
Check-Call: Checking then calling an opponent's bet.
Check-Fold: Checking then folding to an opponent's bet.
Check-Raise: Checking then raising after an opponent bets.
Check-Shove: Checking then going all-in when bet.
Checkback Stayman: Asking about major suit fit after 1NT rebid.
Chelem: Winning all tricks in French Tarot (slam).
Chemin de Fer: A French Baccarat variant where players bank against each other.
Chicane: A hand containing no trumps in bridge or whist.
Chicas: Betting on low cards in Mus.
Chinchón: A Spanish rummy variant.
Chinchonazo: South American rummy variant.
Chip: A token used to represent money in betting games.
Chip and a Chair: Having a tiny stack but still being alive in a tournament.
Chip Down: Losing chips, decreasing stack.
Chip Leader: The player with the most chips in a tournament.
Chip Race: Process of removing small-denomination chips when no longer needed.
Chip Up: Accumulate chips, increasing stack.
Chop: Agreement between remaining players to divide remaining prize money.
Cirulla: Sicilian four-player variant of Scopa.
Claim Bridge: Stating you will win remaining tricks and exposing hand.
Clear: Removing all played cards when someone plays a bomb or specific combo.
Climbing Game: Games where players must play higher combinations than previous plays.
Clock: A circular solitaire arranged like a clock face.
Clockwise: The standard direction of play, moving left.
Closed Game: Solitaire where all cards visible from start.
Codille: Defeat of the Ombre player in the game Ombre.
Coffeehousing: Talking during play to mislead opponents about hand strength.
Coffeehousing Bridge: Talking to influence opponents illegally.
Coiffeur: Jass contract with special scoring.
Coin Flip: A situation close to 50-50, typically pair versus two overcards.
Cold Deck: A period of bad cards or bad luck.
Color-Up: Exchanging small chips for larger denominations.
Column: A vertical pile of cards in the tableau.
Combination: A meld of cards in rummy games.
Combinations: Possible groupings of cards without regard to order.
Combinatorics: Mathematical study of counting combinations.
Commerce: An old French trading card game.
Commerce Game: Old trading game where players exchange cards.
Commission Baccarat: The 5% fee charged on winning banker bets in Baccarat.
Community Cards: Cards dealt face-up that all players can use, common in Texas Hold'em.
Comp: Complimentary rewards from casinos for play.
Computer Hand: Q-7, statistically the median poker hand.
Concentration: Memory game turning over pairs to match.
Concession: Claiming to lose remaining tricks.
Condensed Range: A range of medium-strength hands without very strong or weak holdings.
Conditional Probability: Probability of event A given event B has occurred.
Connector: Cards of consecutive rank.
Conquián: Mexican game considered ancestor of all rummy games.
Continuation Bet: A bet made by the pre-flop aggressor on the flop, continuing the aggression.
Contraband: A Romanian game involving hidden cards and bluffing.
Contract: The number of tricks a player or partnership commits to winning in games like Bridge.
Convention: An agreed system of bidding or play between partners.
Cooler: A deck pre-arranged for cheating, or an unavoidable situation where both players have strong hands.
Cooler Deck: A stacked deck switched in for cheating.
Cooler Deck Situation: When two or more players have very strong hands simultaneously.
Cooler Hand: An unavoidably losing hand despite having strong cards.
Coordinated Board: Cards that connect for straights and flushes.
Coppe: The cups suit in Italian cards.
Copper: Betting against a card in Faro.
Copy Hand: When player and banker have identical hands, banker wins.
Count Signal: Showing partner how many cards you hold in a suit.
Counter: A high-value card in trick-taking games, or a token used for scoring.
Counter Pinochle: A card worth points in tricks (A, 10, K).
Counterclockwise: Playing to the right, opposite the usual direction.
Counterfeited: When a board card makes your hand less valuable.
Court Card: A King, Queen, or Jack (also called face cards or picture cards).
Court Piece: South Asian trick-taking game.
Cover: Playing a higher card to protect partner's nil bid.
Cowboys: A pair of Kings.
Crazy Eights: A shedding game where eights are wild and change the suit.
Crazy Pineapple: Pineapple variant where you discard after the flop.
Credit: Removing chips from table back to cage.
Crib: An extra hand in Cribbage formed from discards, scored by the dealer.
Criss-Cross: Unusual pattern of showing two-suiters.
Crocodile Coup: Winning a trick earlier than necessary to avoid being endplayed.
Crossruff: Partners alternately ruffing different suits.
Crushed: Dominated or defeated badly.
Crying Call: A reluctant call expecting to lose but getting correct odds.
Cuarenta: Ecuadorian fishing game meaning "forty".
Cuckoo: Pass-and-compare game popular in Scandinavia.
Cuebid: A bid in opponent's suit, usually showing a strong hand.
Cut: To divide the deck into two portions after shuffling, typically performed by a player other than the dealer.
Cutthroat: Every player for themselves with no partnerships.
Daifugō: Japanese climbing game meaning "Grand Millionaire".
Day 2: Second day of a multi-day tournament.
Dead Man's Hand: Two pairs: Aces and Eights (Wild Bill Hickok's final hand).
Dead Money: Money in pot from players who folded.
Deadwood: Unmatched cards in rummy games that count against your score.
Deal: To distribute cards to players at the beginning of a hand or round.
Deal from Bottom: Cheating technique of dealing the bottom card while appearing to deal the top.
Deal Number: Specific shuffle allowing same game replay.
Dealer's Choice: Format where the dealer selects which game to play.
Deck: A complete set of playing cards, typically 52 cards plus jokers.
Declare: Announcing whether you're competing for high, low, or both pots.
Declarer: The player who controls both their hand and dummy.
Deep Run: Advancing far into a tournament.
Deep Stack: Tournament starting with many times the minimum buy-in in chips.
Defence: Beating attacking cards in Durak.
Defend Alone: Partner of maker sitting out the hand.
Defender: A player attempting to defeat the contract.
Dehla Pakad: Indian game focusing on capturing tens.
Delayed C-Bet: Betting turn after checking flop as preflop aggressor.
Denari: The coins suit in Italian cards.
Deschapelles Coup: Sacrificing honor to create entry to partner's hand.
Deuce: A card with a rank of two.
Deviation: Departure from normal partnership agreements.
Devil Card: The highest trump in Karnöffel.
Devil's Coup: Appearing to be endplayed but using a hidden trump.
Diamonds Round: Avoiding diamond tricks in Trix.
Director: Tournament official who rules on irregularities.
Discard: To remove unwanted cards from your hand, either face-up or face-down depending on the game.
Disconnect Protection: Features protecting players who lose connection.
Disconnect Timer: Grace period when connection lost.
Discounted Outs: Outs that may not win even if hit.
Discovery Play: Playing to learn about hidden cards.
Distribution Points: Extra points for short suits or long suits.
Dix: The nine of trumps in Pinochle, worth 10 points.
Dominated: A hand with significantly worse odds against another specific hand.
Donk Bet: Leading into the pre-flop aggressor, usually considered weak play.
Donk-Lead: Leading into the preflop aggressor.
Donkey: An unskilled or poor player.
DONT Convention: Disturbing Opponent's No Trump convention.
Door Card: First upcard in Seven-Card Stud.
Doppelkopf: A German four-player game with two teams.
Dou Dizhu: Chinese "Fighting the Landlord" game.
Double Barrel: Betting flop and turn.
Double Board: Dealing two separate boards, splitting pot.
Double Down: Doubling your bet in exchange for receiving exactly one more card.
Double Elimination: Format where you must lose twice to be eliminated.
Double Pinochle: Two Pinochle melds (Q♠ J♦ from each deck), worth 300 points.
Double Run: A run with one card duplicated in Cribbage.
Double Run Pinochle: Two complete runs in trump, worth 1500 points.
Double Skunk: Winning before opponent reaches 61 points in Cribbage.
Doubleton: Holding exactly two cards of a particular suit.
Down: Going off shift as a dealer.
Down Card: A card dealt face-down, hidden from other players.
Downswing: A period of sustained losses or bad results.
Doyle Brunson: 10-2, the hand Brunson won two WSOP Main Events with.
Dragon: The highest card in Tichu.
Dragon Bonus: A Baccarat side bet on winning margin.
Dragon Hand: An extra hand in Pai Gow when not enough players.
Draw: To take additional cards from the deck or draw pile.
Draw Two: A card forcing the next player to draw two cards.
Drawing Dead: Trying to complete a hand that cannot win even if completed.
Drawing Live: Having outs that will actually improve to the winning hand.
Drawing Slim: Very few outs remaining.
Drawing Thin: Chasing with very few outs.
Drawing to Dead Outs: Chasing cards that won't actually win.
Drop: Money that goes into the drop box from table games.
Drury: Convention checking opener's strength after passed hand.
Dry Board: A board with few drawing possibilities.
Duck: Deliberately losing a trick to preserve communications or timing.
Ducks: A pair of Twos.
Dummy: In Bridge, the hand that is placed face-up on the table after the bidding and played by the declarer.
Duplicate: A form of competitive bridge where the same deals are played at multiple tables.
Durak: Russian game meaning "fool", where the loser is the durak.
Durchmars: Winning every trick in Hungarian Ulti.
Dynamic Board: A board likely to create draws and change hand values.
Echo: Playing high-low to show an even number of cards.
Effective Odds: Pot odds including implied odds.
Effective Stack: The smaller of two players' stacks in a hand.
Egyptian Ratscrew: Slapping game with multiple triggers.
Eight-or-Better: Low hand must be 8-high or better to qualify for low pot.
Elder: The non-dealer in two-player games, who usually acts first.
Eldest Hand: The player to the dealer's left, who usually acts first.
Endplay: Forcing an opponent into a disadvantageous lead late in the hand.
Entry: A card that allows a player to gain the lead.
Envido: A betting round in Truco based on hand values.
Equity: The share of the pot a hand will win on average based on its probability.
Escoba: Spanish version of Scopa.
Establish: Making your low cards in a suit good by forcing out opponents' high cards.
Euchre: An American trick-taking game, or preventing the maker from taking three tricks.
Even Money: A bet that pays 1:1 odds.
Exclusion Blackwood: Asking for aces excluding a void suit.
Excuse: The Fool card in French Tarot, which can be played at any time.
Exit: A card played to give up the lead strategically.
Expected Return: Average amount returned per unit wagered over time.
Expected Value: The average amount won or lost per action over the long run (EV).
Explanation: Describing a partnership agreement when asked.
Exploitative Play: Adjusting strategy to take advantage of opponent tendencies.
Eye in the Sky: Casino surveillance cameras monitoring all gaming activity.
Face Card: The Jack, Queen, and King cards in a standard deck, also called court cards or picture cards.
False Card: Playing a deceptive card to mislead opponents.
False Cut: A cut that appears legitimate but doesn't change card order.
False Shuffle: A shuffle that appears to mix cards but maintains order.
Faro: An old gambling game once more popular than poker.
Faro Bank: The dealer position in Faro, once a popular gambling game.
Faro Shuffle: A perfect riffle shuffle alternating cards exactly.
Fast-Fold: Poker format allowing instant folding and new hands.
Favorite: The player or outcome expected to win.
Felt: The playing surface, or to lose all chips (felted).
Felted: Lost all chips.
Fielding: Taking action based on suspicion partner has psyched.
Fifteen-Two: Scoring phrase in Cribbage when cards total 15 for 2 points.
Fifth Street: Third betting round in Stud games.
Fill: Adding chips to a table from casino cage.
Final Table: The last table in a tournament, typically 9-10 players.
Finesse: An attempt to win a trick with a card that is not the highest in that suit.
Finessing: Attempting to win a trick with a lower card by playing before the opponent.
First Hand: The player to act first, or the initial deal.
Fish: An unskilled player who loses money consistently.
Fishing Game: Games where players capture table cards by matching.
Five Hundred: Australian trick-taking game similar to Euchre with 500-point target.
Five-Bet: Re-raising a four-bet, usually indicating extreme strength or a bluff.
Five-Card Majors: Requiring 5+ cards to open 1♥ or 1♠.
Flannery: 2♦ opening showing 5 hearts and 4 spades.
Flat Payout: Equal prizes for a range of finishing positions.
Fleck: Extra cards or bonuses in Central European games.
Float: Calling with a weak hand intending to take the pot on a later street.
Floorman: Supervisor in casino card room.
Flop: The first three community cards dealt face-up in Hold'em and Omaha.
Flor: Three cards of the same suit in Truco.
Flush: A poker hand consisting of five cards of the same suit.
Flush Meld: A run in the trump suit in Pinochle.
Fold: To withdraw from the current hand in poker, forfeiting any bets already made.
Fold Equity: Added value from the probability opponents will fold.
Follow Suit: To play a card of the same suit that was led in a trick-taking game.
Forcing Bid: A bid that requires partner to bid again.
Fork: Holding cards that surround an opponent's honor (e.g., K-J over Q).
Forty Thieves: A difficult two-deck solitaire.
Foundation: Piles where cards are built up in sequence, usually by suit.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank (also called quads).
Four-Bet: Re-raising a three-bet.
Four-Card Majors: Allowing 4-card suit to open 1♥ or 1♠.
Fourth Best: Leading the fourth-highest card from a long suit.
Fourth Street: Second betting round in Stud games.
Fourth Suit Forcing: Artificial bid in fourth suit to force partner to bid again.
FreeCell: A solitaire variant with four free cells for temporarily storing cards.
Freeroll: A tournament with no entry fee but real prizes.
Freeze: Discarding a wild card to restrict the discard pile in Canasta.
Freezeout: Tournament with no rebuys or add-ons.
Front Hand: The two-card hand in Pai Gow Poker.
Full House: A poker hand containing three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
Gaigel: South German partnership version of Sixty-Six.
Gambling 3NT: Opening showing solid minor suit with little outside.
Game: The target score needed to win a match, or a single round of play.
Game Flow: The rhythm and dynamics at a poker table.
Game Points: Points needed to win a game or rubber.
Game Theory Optimal: Strategy that cannot be exploited (GTO).
Gapper: Cards with a gap between their ranks.
Gaps: A solitaire about arranging cards in sequence with gaps.
Geometric Sizing: Using same proportion of pot each street.
George: A good tipper.
Gerber: A convention asking for aces using 4♣.
Gin: In Gin Rummy, going out with all cards melded and no deadwood.
Gin Rummy: A two-player rummy variant where players try to form melds and minimize deadwood.
Girls Round: Avoiding Queens in Trix.
Give Up: Checking after previous aggression.
Gnav: A Norwegian game similar to Whist.
Go: When a player cannot play without exceeding 31 in Cribbage pegging.
Go Out: To play your last card, ending the hand.
Go-Stop: A Korean fishing game using Hwatu cards.
Godori: A three-bird yaku in Korean Go-Stop.
Going Alone: Playing without a partner for higher stakes in Euchre.
Going Down: Making an initial meld in Canasta.
Golf: A solitaire where you try to clear the tableau in the fewest shots.
Gong Zhu: Chinese game similar to Hearts but with bidding.
Grace: Optional extra deal in some solitaire games.
Grand Coup: Ruffing your own winning cards to achieve trump coup.
Grand Slam: Winning all tricks in a hand, or winning all major tournaments.
Grand Slam Force: 5NT asking about top trump honors.
Grandes: Betting on high cards in Mus.
Great Zole: Playing alone against two opponents in Zole.
Green Suit: A suit not of the same color as the turned card.
Grinder: A player who makes steady profits through consistent, tight play.
Gripper: Someone skilled at palming cards.
Guarantee: Minimum prize pool promised regardless of entries.
Guaranteed Win: Solitaire game theoretically always winnable.
Guschti: The Jack of trumps in Jass, highest card.
Gutshot: An inside straight draw requiring one specific rank to complete.
Hakam: The player who wins the bidding in Tarneeb.
Hanafuda: Japanese flower cards used in various games.
Hand: The cards held by a player during a round of play, or a complete round from deal to conclusion.
Hand History: A text record of all actions in a hand.
Hard Hand: A hand without an Ace, or with an Ace counted as 1.
Heads-Up: Play between only two players.
Heads-Up Display: Software showing statistics about opponents (HUD).
Heads-Up Tournament: Tournament with only two-player matches.
Heater: A hot streak of winning.
Hedge: Making a bet to reduce risk on another bet.
Heel: Betting for a card to win in Faro.
Help Suit: Suit where help is needed for game.
Hero Call: A brave call with a marginal hand that turns out correct.
Hero Fold: Folding a strong hand based on reading opponent correctly.
Hesitation: Unauthorized pause that may convey information.
High Card: The highest ranking card when no other poker hand is made.
High-Card Points: A point-count system for evaluating hands (A=4, K=3, Q=2, J=1).
High-Low Split: Pot divided between best high and best low hands.
Hikari: Bright cards, the highest value in Hanafuda.
Hindu Shuffle: Pulling cards from the bottom while holding the deck from above.
His Heels: Jack turned as the starter by the dealer, earning 2 points immediately.
His Nobs: Jack of the same suit as the starter card, worth 1 point in Cribbage.
Hit: In Blackjack, to request another card from the dealer.
Hock: Last card in Faro box, also called hockety.
Hokm: A Persian trick-taking game where trump is determined by play.
Hold-Up: Refusing to win a trick early to disrupt opponent communication.
Holdup Play: Refusing to win early to break communications.
Hole Card: A card dealt face-down to a player.
Hollywood: Acting to mislead opponents about hand strength.
Honor: High-value cards (typically Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten in trump).
Honor Cards: High-value cards (usually A, K, Q, J, sometimes 10).
Hooks: A pair of Jacks.
HORSE: Mixed game rotating through Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven-Stud, and Eight-or-better.
House Edge: The mathematical advantage the casino has over players.
House Way: The standard method dealers use to set their hands.
HUD: Heads-Up Display showing player statistics.
Hwatu: Korean flower cards similar to Hanafuda.
Hyper-Turbo: Extremely fast tournament with very quick blind increases.
I Doubt It: American name for Cheat.
ICM: Independent Chip Model, calculating tournament chip values as real money.
Implied Odds: The ratio of expected future winnings to the current cost of a call.
IMPs: International Match Points, a team scoring method.
In the Money: Finishing in a paid position in a tournament (ITM).
Independent Events: Events where one doesn't affect the other's probability.
Index: The rank and suit symbols in the corners of cards.
Insta-Call: Instant call.
Instacall: Calling immediately without thought.
Instafold: Folding immediately without thought.
Insufficient Bid: Bid lower than previous bid.
Insurance: A side bet offered when the dealer shows an Ace, betting the dealer has blackjack.
Intrigue: Another compartment in Pope Joan.
Inverted Minors: Single raise is strong, jump raise is weak.
Invitational: A bid encouraging but not forcing partner to game.
Isolation Bet: Raising to play heads-up against a weak player.
Jacks Around: Four Jacks of different suits, worth 40 points.
Jacoby 2NT: Response showing game-forcing major raise.
Jacoby Transfer: Bidding diamonds to show hearts or hearts to show spades.
Jam: To go all-in or make a large bet.
Jass: Swiss national card game with many variants.
Joker: An extra card in the deck, often used as a wild card or the highest trump.
Joker Five Hundred: The highest card in Five Hundred.
Judgment: Indian game similar to Oh Hell.
Juego: Betting on point combinations in Mus.
Juice: The commission or vigorish taken by the house.
Jumbo Index: Larger corner markings for easier reading.
Jump Bid: A bid higher than necessary, showing extra strength.
Kaboot: Winning all 13 tricks in Tarneeb.
Karnöffel: Oldest known European trick-taking game, from 1400s.
Kasu: Plain cards in Hanafuda, worth 1 point.
Kelly Criterion: A formula for optimal bet sizing based on edge and bankroll.
Kemps: Partnership game with secret signals.
Kent: Another name for Kemps.
Kickback: Using 4♣ or 4♦ as keycard ask instead of 4NT.
Kicker: In poker, an unpaired card used to break ties between otherwise equal hands.
Kingdom Round: A round in Trix where specific cards are avoided.
Kings Around: Four Kings of different suits, worth 80 points.
Kitty: A pool of cards, chips, or money set aside for a specific purpose in various card games.
Kitty Cat: Slang for the kitty or widow.
Klaberjass: Jewish-European game similar to Belote.
Klaverjas: Dutch game similar to French Belote.
Klondike: The most common solitaire variant, building down on tableau and up on foundations.
Knock: To end a round in rummy games by laying down your hand.
Knockout: Tournament where you win a bounty for each player you eliminate.
Koi-Koi: A popular Hanafuda fishing game.
Kontra: Redoubling in Jass.
La Belle Lucie: A fan-shaped solitaire with limited redeals.
Ladder: Moving up pay positions without playing, as others bust.
Ladies: A pair of Queens.
LAG: Loose-Aggressive playing style, playing many hands aggressively.
Landlord: The solo player in Dou Dizhu.
Landy: 2♣ over 1NT showing both majors.
Lansquenet: A historical German banking game.
Last Card: A warning that must be announced when holding one card.
Late Registration: Period during which players can still enter after tournament starts.
Lavinthal: A suit-preference signal with the card rank.
Laying Off: Adding cards to existing melds after going out.
Le Grande: A natural 9 in Baccarat.
Le Petite: A natural 8 in Baccarat.
Lead: To play the first card in a trick, or the card that is played first.
Lead Out of Turn: Playing when not your turn to lead.
Left Bower: Jack of same color as trump suit, second highest card.
Level: Thinking level or outthinking yourself.
Leveling: Thinking about what level of strategy opponent is using.
Leveling War: Multiple players overthinking each other.
Leverage: Using threat of large bet to influence opponent.
Life: Still having chips, still being in the hand or tournament.
Life Master: Achievement rank in ACBL requiring 300+ masterpoints.
Light: Playing aggressively with a weaker hand than typical.
Light 3-Bet: Three-betting with a hand weaker than normal.
Limit Bid: A bid that precisely defines hand strength, allowing partner to decide.
Limp: To enter the pot by calling the minimum bet rather than raising.
Linear Range: A balanced range with hands of all strengths.
Linen Finish: Textured surface on cards for better grip.
Little Slick: Ace-Two as starting cards.
Lobby: Online poker room interface showing available games.
Lock: A sure winner (note: no bet is truly a lock).
Loner Euchre: Attempting to take all tricks alone.
Long Shot: A bet with low probability but high payout.
Long Suit: A suit where you hold many cards.
Long Whist: Whist played to 10 points.
Loser on Loser: Discarding a losing card on another losing card strategically.
M-Ratio: Stack size measured in orbits, accounting for blinds and antes.
Macao: A Romanian banking game similar to Blackjack.
Mahjong: Card versions of the traditional tile game.
Major Arcana: The 22 trump cards in a tarot deck.
Maker: The player who chooses or declares trump.
Makeup: Losses that must be recouped before profit-sharing begins.
Malas: Bad cards or a weak hand in Spanish games.
Maniac: An extremely aggressive player who plays too many hands.
March Euchre: Taking all five tricks, worth 2 points.
Mariáš: A Czech and Slovak three-player game.
Marked Cards: Cards with secret markings allowing identification from the back.
Marker: A casino credit slip allowing players to borrow money for play.
Marriage: A meld of King and Queen of the same suit in games like Pinochle.
Marriage Declaration: Announcing King and Queen for points in Tyzicha.
Masterpoints: ACBL ranking system points awarded at bridge tournaments.
Matador: High trumps that need not follow the usual sequence in some games.
Matchpoints: A scoring method comparing results to other pairs playing the same hands.
Matrimony: One of the compartments in Pope Joan board.
Mau-Mau: German shedding game similar to Crazy Eights.
Mechanic: A dealer skilled in card manipulation and cheating techniques.
Mechanic's Grip: A specific way of holding the deck used by card manipulators.
Meld: A combination of cards that scores points, particularly in Rummy games and Canasta.
Memory Game: Commercial name for Concentration.
Merci: French term for grace in solitaire.
Merged: A betting range with hands of similar medium strength.
Merged Range: A range containing hands of varying strengths without clear separation.
Merged Sizing: Using medium bets with merged range.
Merrimac Coup: Deliberately sacrificing a high card to remove an entry.
Meta-Game: How previous hands and table image affect current decisions.
Michaels Cue Bid: A convention showing a two-suited hand.
Michigan: American version of Newmarket.
Middle: Betting both sides of a game at different lines to win both.
Mighty: Korean game similar to Napoleon.
Min-Bet: Smallest legal bet amount.
Min-Cash: Finishing just inside the money for minimum payout.
Min-Raise: Smallest legal raise amount.
Mini-Baccarat: A smaller table version of Baccarat.
Minimum Defense Frequency: How often you must call to prevent bluff profit.
Minor Arcana: The 56 suited cards in a tarot deck.
Misdeal: An error in dealing that requires reshuffling and redealing.
Misere: Contract to lose all tricks in Preferans.
Misère: A contract to lose all tricks, the opposite of normal play.
Misère Five Hundred: A bid to lose all tricks in Five Hundred.
Mission: Competing for both high and low pots.
Mississippi Straddle: Straddle from any position.
Mixed Strategy: Randomly varying play between options.
Money Finish: Placing high enough to receive prize money.
Monotone Board: All three flop cards of the same suit.
Morton's Fork: Play where opponent loses regardless of their choice.
Move Down: Dropping to lower stakes, often after losses.
Move Up: Playing at higher stakes than usual.
Muck: To fold and discard cards face-down, or the pile of discarded cards.
MUD: Leading Middle-Up-Down from three small cards.
Muggins: Claiming points your opponent failed to count in Cribbage.
Multi 2 Diamonds: Opening showing weak two in major or strong hand.
Multi-Table Tournament: A tournament with players spread across multiple tables.
Multi-Tabling: Playing at multiple tables simultaneously.
Mus: A Basque card game with signaling between partners.
Mystery Bounty: Bounty tournament where elimination prizes are random.
Nain Jaune: French stops game meaning Yellow Dwarf.
Namyats: Transfer bids at the four level.
Nap: Short for Napoleon, or a bid to win all five tricks.
Napoleon Japan: Japanese trick-taking game with bidding.
Nash Equilibrium: Strategy where no player benefits from changing alone.
Natural: A hand dealt without needing to draw cards, or an unbeatable hand like 21 in Blackjack.
Natural Baccarat: A two-card hand totaling 8 or 9 in Baccarat.
Needle: Taunting or teasing opponents at the table.
Negative Double: A double by responder showing values but not a good suit bid.
Nell: The Nine of trumps in Jass, second highest.
New Minor Forcing: Bid in unbid minor after 1NT rebid to force.
Newmarket: A British stops game with betting.
Next Suit: Calling the suit of same color as rejected card.
Nil Bid: Bidding to take zero tricks in Spades, worth 100 points if successful.
Nineteen Hand: A hand worth zero points in Cribbage (impossible to score 19).
Ninety-Eight: Adding game trying not to exceed 98.
Ninety-Nine: British trick-taking game with bidding to exactly 9 tricks.
Ninety-Nine Adding: Similar to Ninety-Eight but with 99 limit.
Nit: An extremely tight player who only plays premium hands.
No Trump: A contract in Bridge where no suit is designated as trump.
No Trumps: Contract without trump suit in Five Hundred.
Nobs: Short for His Nobs, the matching jack in Cribbage.
Nomination Whist: British name for Oh Hell.
Null: A bid to take no tricks, common in Skat.
Nut Advantage: Having more of the strongest possible hands than opponent.
Nuts: The best possible hand given the current board cards.
Odds: The ratio of success to failure for an event.
Oh Hell: Trick-taking game where you must bid exactly the tricks you will win.
Omaha: Poker variant where players receive four hole cards and must use exactly two.
Omaha Hi-Lo: Omaha variant where pot is split between high and low hands.
Ombre: A historic Spanish three-player trick-taking game.
Ombre Player: The player who takes on the contract in Ombre.
On Life Support: Very short stacked.
On the Bubble: Next person eliminated before reaching paid positions.
Open Game: Solitaire with hidden cards revealed during play.
Open Misère: Playing misère with hand exposed.
Opening Bid: The first bid made in an auction.
Opening Lead: The first card played to trick one.
Order Up: Accepting the turned card as trump.
Oscar: A particularly good acting performance at the table.
Oudlers: The three most valuable trumps in French Tarot (1, 21, and Excuse).
Outs: Cards remaining in the deck that will improve your hand.
Ouvert: Playing with hand exposed to all opponents.
Over-Repped: Playing a weak hand as if it were stronger.
Overbet: Betting more than the pot.
Overcall: A bid made after an opponent has opened the bidding.
Overcard: A hole card higher than any community card.
Overhand Shuffle: Transferring small packets from one hand to the other.
Overlay: When tournament entries don't meet the guarantee, house adds money.
Overtrick: Tricks won beyond the contract, earning bonus points.
Overtrump: To play a higher trump than one already played to the trick.
Owned: Thoroughly beaten or outplayed.
Pai Gow Poker: A casino game creating two poker hands from seven cards.
Paint: A face card (Jack, Queen, or King).
Painting: Discarding hearts on tricks to give opponents points.
Pair: Two cards of the same rank.
Paired Board: A board containing a pair.
Pairs Game: Simple name for Concentration.
Palm: Hiding a card in the hand, a sleight-of-hand technique.
Paper Cards: Traditional cards made from paper with plastic coating.
Pares: Betting on pairs in Mus.
Part Score: A contract worth fewer than 100 points.
Partnership: Two players working together as a team.
Pass: To decline to bid, bet, or play in turn.
Pass Pinochle: Declining to bid in Pinochle.
Passing: Exchanging cards with other players before play begins in Hearts.
Pay Jump: The increase in prize money between finishing positions.
Payout Structure: How prize money is distributed among finishers.
Peg: To score points on a cribbage board.
Pelmanism: British name for Concentration.
Penalty: Points deducted or awarded to opponents for failing a contract.
Penalty Card: A card that must be played at the first legal opportunity as punishment for a rules violation.
Penalty Double: A double expecting to defeat the contract for extra points.
Penetration: The percentage of cards dealt before reshuffling.
Perfect Hand: The maximum 29-point hand in Cribbage (5-5-5-J with 5 cut).
Permutations: Possible arrangements of cards where order matters.
Peter: British term for echo signal.
Petit: The trump 1 in Tarot games.
Pharaoh: Finnish shedding game.
Phoenix: A special wild card in Tichu.
Pig: Losing both ways when competing for both high and low.
Pineapple: Hold'em variant where players receive three hole cards and discard one.
Pip: The symbols on a playing card that indicate its rank and suit.
Pique: Reaching 30 points before opponent scores at all in Piquet.
Piquet: A historic French two-player game emphasizing card combinations.
Pit: Gaming area containing table games.
Pit Boss: A casino supervisor overseeing table games in a specific area.
Plain Suit: A non-trump suit in trick-taking games.
Plastic Cards: Durable cards made from plastic instead of paper.
Play Behind: Placing bet for someone not yet seated.
Pocket Pair: Two hole cards of the same rank in poker.
Pocket Rockets: A pair of Aces as hole cards.
Podkidnoy Durak: Throwing-in variant of Durak where multiple players can attack.
Poignée: A bonus for holding many trumps in French Tarot.
Polarized: Betting range containing very strong and very weak hands but nothing medium.
Polarized Range: A range consisting of very strong hands and bluffs, lacking medium hands.
Polarized Sizing: Using large bets with polarized range.
Pone: The non-dealer in Cribbage and other games.
Pontoon: British name for Blackjack, or a hand totaling 21.
Pope: The Nine of Diamonds in Pope Joan.
Pope Joan: An old stops game played with special boards.
Poque: French game considered ancestor of poker.
Position: Your seat relative to the dealer button, affecting the order of action.
Pot: The pool of money or chips in the center of the table that players compete to win.
Pot Equity: Your share of the pot based on your winning probability.
Pot Geometry: How pot size grows based on bet sizing.
Pot Odds: The ratio of the current pot size to the cost of a contemplated call.
Precision Club: System where 1♣ shows 16+ points.
Preempt: A high bid made early to obstruct opponent bidding.
Preferans: A sophisticated Russian trick-taking game.
Preference: A Central European trick-taking game with complex bidding.
Preferred Seating: Requesting specific seat position.
President: A climbing game where the winner becomes President.
Prial: Three cards of the same rank in British games (three of a kind).
Prial Brag: Three of a kind in Brag, the best hand.
Primero: A 16th-century game, ancestor of poker.
Primiera: A bonus for having the best prime cards in Scopa.
Probability: The likelihood of an event occurring, expressed as a percentage or fraction.
Probe Bet: A small bet to gain information about opponent's hand.
Progressive Knockout: Knockout where bounties increase as players are eliminated.
Prop Player: A casino employee paid to start and maintain games.
Protection Bet: Betting to prevent opponents from drawing profitably.
Prší: Czech shedding game meaning "It's Raining".
Psychic Bid: Deliberately misleading bid meant to deceive opponents.
Punt: Making a terrible play, usually spewy.
Punto: The player hand in Baccarat.
Push: A tie between player and dealer, resulting in no money changing hands.
Pwned: Internet slang for owned.
Pyramid: A solitaire where pairs totaling 13 are removed.
Quads: Four of a kind.
Qualifier: Minimum hand requirement to win the low half in hi-lo games.
Quantitative 4NT: 4NT inviting slam, not asking for aces.
Quatorze: Four cards of the same rank in French games.
Queen of Spades: Worth 13 penalty points in Hearts.
Queens Around: Four Queens of different suits, worth 60 points.
Rabbit Hunt: Looking at what cards would have come after the hand ends.
Rabbit Hunting: Looking at what would have come after hand ends.
Race: Another term for a coin flip situation.
Rag: A low, worthless card.
Rail: The barrier around a poker area, or watching without playing.
Rainbow: A flop or board with cards of different suits.
Raise: To increase the current bet in poker, forcing other players to match or fold.
Rake: The fee charged by the house for hosting the poker game.
Rakeback: Percentage of rake paid returned to players as a reward.
Rang: Calling trump by playing the first card in Court Piece.
Range: The spectrum of possible hands a player could have.
Range Advantage: Having more strong hands than opponent given the board.
Range Construction: Building a balanced set of hands for a given action.
Rank: The value of a card, such as Ace, King, Queen, Jack, or numbered cards.
Raspasy: A no-contract round in Preferans where all players try to minimize tricks.
Ratholing: Leaving a table with winnings then returning with minimum buy-in.
Razz: Seven-card stud variant where the lowest hand wins.
Re-Entry: Entering a tournament again after busting.
Re-Raise: To raise after an opponent has already raised.
Rebelote: The second card of a Belote combination when played.
Rebid: A second bid by the same player.
Rebuy: Option to purchase more chips after losing your stack in a tournament.
Redeal: To deal cards again after a misdeal.
Redeal Limit: Maximum times you can go through the stock.
Rekt: Internet slang for wrecked/destroyed.
Relay System: Artificial bid asking partner to describe hand.
Renege: To fail to follow suit when able to do so, typically resulting in a penalty.
Repique: Reaching 30 in declarations before any cards are played in Piquet.
Reserve: Cards set aside at the start that can be played to the tableau or foundation.
Reserved Cards: Cards set aside for later use in solitaire.
Responder: Partner of the opening bidder.
Response: A bid made in reply to partner's bid.
Resteal: Re-raising a suspected steal attempt.
Reverse: A card reversing the direction of play.
Reverse Drury: Variation of Drury using 2♣.
Reverse Implied Odds: Future losses when you improve but opponent improves more.
Reverse Tell: Deliberately giving a false tell to deceive opponents.
Revoke: Another term for renege; failing to follow suit when required.
Revoke Penalty: Punishment for failing to follow suit.
Revolution: Playing four of a kind in President, reversing high/low order.
Revolution Daifugo: Playing four-of-a-kind to reverse card rankings.
Riffle Shuffle: Splitting the deck and interleaving cards from each half.
Right Bower: Jack of trump suit, the highest card in Euchre.
Risk of Ruin: Probability of losing entire bankroll.
River: The fifth and final community card in Texas Hold'em.
River Rat: A player who consistently wins on the river card.
RKCB: Roman Keycard Blackwood.
Rock: A very tight, conservative player who rarely takes risks.
ROI: Return on Investment, percentage profit on buy-ins.
Rolled: Having your entire bankroll lost.
Roman Keycard: Asking for aces counting King of trump as fifth ace.
Romanian Whist: Variant of Oh Hell.
Rotation: The order in which players take turns.
Round Robin: A format where everyone plays everyone else.
Roundhouse: Marriage in each suit, worth 240 points.
Royal Flush: The highest possible poker hand: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of the same suit.
Rubber: A match of three games in Bridge, or winning two out of three games.
Rubicon Bezique: Four-deck version of Bezique.
Ruff: To play a trump card when unable to follow suit in trick-taking games.
Ruffing Finesse: Leading towards a finesse while void, planning to ruff if covered.
Rummy: Going out by melding all cards at once, earning a bonus.
Run: A sequence of consecutive cards, also called a straight or sequence.
Run It Once: Standard dealing of remaining cards once.
Run It Twice: Dealing the remaining community cards twice when all-in, splitting the pot between results.
Run of Three: Three consecutive cards for 3 points in Cribbage.
Run Pinochle: A-10-K-Q-J of trump suit, worth 150 points.
Rung: Another spelling of Rang.
Runner-Runner: Same as backdoor, needing favorable cards on both remaining streets.
Running: Leading a long suit to force out specific cards.
Running Flush: Three-card straight flush in Brag.
Rush: A winning streak where everything is going right.
Russian Solitaire: Yukon variant with stricter building rules.
Safety Play: Playing to guarantee contract even if losing an overtrick.
Sample Space: All possible outcomes in a probability scenario.
Sandbag: To play weakly to deceive opponents about hand strength.
Sandbag Penalty: Losing 100 points for accumulating 10 bags in Spades.
Satellite: A small tournament where winners gain entry to a larger tournament.
Satellite Ticket: Prize of entry into a larger tournament.
Schafkopf: A popular Bavarian card game.
Schieber Jass: Most popular Jass variant in Switzerland.
Schnapsen: An Austrian two-player game similar to Sixty-Six.
Schneider: Winning with opponent scoring less than half in German card games.
Schooled: Taught a lesson by being outplayed.
Schwarz: Winning all tricks, preventing opponent from scoring any points.
Scissors Coup: Cutting communications between opponents.
Scoop: Winning both high and low pots in hi-lo games.
Scopa: An Italian fishing game, or the act of sweeping the table.
Scopone: Four-player partnership version of Scopa.
Scopone Scientifico: Scientific Scopone with all cards dealt at start.
Scorpion: A challenging solitaire where all cards are face up.
Screen: Physical barrier between partnerships in high-level bridge.
Screw Your Neighbor: Simple comparing game also called Cuckoo.
Scum: The loser in President who must give their best cards to the winner.
Seat Open: Call that a spot is available at a table.
Seat Selection: Choosing where to sit relative to strong and weak players.
Seating Script: Software automatically joining games with fish.
Second Deal: Dealing the second card while retaining the top card.
Sedma: A Czech matching game where sevens are special.
Seeding: Ranking players to determine initial matchups.
Seep: An Indian fishing game similar to Cassino.
Sequence: Cards in consecutive rank order.
Sequential Declaration: Players declare in turn order for high/low.
Session: A single period of play.
Set: Multiple cards of the same rank, or to defeat a contract in bidding games.
Settebello: The seven of diamonds, worth a bonus point in Scopa.
Setting Hands: Arranging your cards into high and low hands.
Seven Card Stud: Poker variant with three down cards and four up cards.
Seventh Street: Final betting round in Seven-Card Stud, also called the river.
Shark: A highly skilled player who preys on weaker players.
Sharp: A professional or sophisticated bettor.
Shaved Cards: Cards trimmed slightly for cheating purposes.
Shedding Game: Games where the goal is to empty your hand first.
Sheepshead: An American game descended from German Schafkopf.
Shelem: An Iranian partnership game with complex bidding.
Sheng Ji: Chinese trick-taking game meaning "Level Up".
Ship: To move all chips into the pot, going all-in.
Ship It: Expression celebrating winning a pot or tournament.
Shoe: A device holding multiple decks for dealing in casino games.
Shoe Game: A card game dealt from a shoe containing multiple decks.
Shoot Moon Pinochle: Bidding to take all points in hand and play.
Shooting the Moon: Taking all hearts and the Queen of Spades in Hearts, giving 26 points to opponents.
Shootout: Tournament where tables don't break, winner from each advances.
Short Club: Opening 1♣ with only 2 or 3 cards.
Short Deck: Hold'em played with cards 6 through Ace only.
Short Suit: A suit where you hold few cards.
Short Whist: Whist played to 5 points.
Shot: An attempt at higher stakes.
Shot-Taking: Playing at higher stakes than normal bankroll management suggests.
Shove: To go all-in, especially in tournaments.
Showdown: The revealing of all hands at the end of a poker game to determine the winner.
Showdown Value: The worth of a hand if played to showdown without improvement.
Shuffle: To mix cards randomly before dealing to ensure fairness.
Sick: Impressive or unlucky depending on context.
Sick Call: Impressive call that proves correct.
Sick Laydown: Impressive fold that proves correct.
Side Suit: Any suit other than trumps.
Sign-Off: A bid telling partner to pass.
Signal: A legal play that conveys information to partner.
Signal Suit: Using specific cards to indicate preference for a suit.
Simultaneous Declaration: All players declare at once using chips or signals.
Single-Table Tournament: A tournament played at one table from start to finish.
Singleton: Holding exactly one card of a particular suit.
Sit Out: Temporarily not playing but holding seat.
Sit-and-Go: A tournament that starts as soon as enough players register.
Sixth Street: Fourth betting round in Seven-Card Stud.
Sixty-Four: A low hand of 6-4-3-2-A in lowball games.
Sixty-Six: German two-player game similar to Bezique.
Skat: Two cards set aside in the German game Skat, or the game itself.
Skill Edge: Advantage due to superior ability.
Skip: A card causing the next player to miss their turn.
Skip Bid: Bid jumping one or more levels.
Skunk: Winning a Cribbage game before opponent reaches 91 points.
Slalom: Alternating trump/no-trump contract in Jass.
Slam: Winning all tricks in a hand, called a grand slam; winning all but one is a small slam.
Slapjack: Reaction game slapping Jacks.
Sleeper Straddle: Straddle that only activates if no one raises.
Sloughing: Discarding dangerous cards when not following suit.
Slowroll: Deliberately taking a long time to reveal a winning hand, considered rude.
Small Blind: The smaller forced bet posted by the player immediately left of the dealer.
Small Zole: The basic contract in Zole.
Smith Echo: A defensive signal showing strength in dummy's first suit.
Smokeout: Attempting to stop someone from shooting the moon.
Snap: Fast-paced matching game.
Snap Call: Calling instantly without hesitation.
Snap Fold: Folding instantly without hesitation.
Soda Card: Top card of the deck in Faro, which doesn't play.
Soft Hand: A hand containing an Ace counted as 11 without busting.
Soul Read: Perfectly reading opponent's exact hand.
Spade: The swords suit in Italian cards.
Spadille: The Ace of Spades when it is the highest trump.
Spar: A South African card game similar to Whist.
Speech Play: Talking during a hand to gain information or influence action.
Spew: Losing chips through poor play.
Spider: A solitaire variant using two decks, building down regardless of suit.
Spin and Go: Hyper-turbo three-player tournament with random prize pool.
Splinter: A bid showing support and a singleton or void in the bid suit.
Splinter Bid: Jump showing support and shortness.
Split: To divide a pair into two separate hands in Blackjack.
Split Pot: A game where the pot is divided between different winning conditions.
Square: A recreational or unsophisticated bettor.
Squeeze: A play in Bridge that forces an opponent to discard a vital card.
Squeeze Play: Re-raising after a raise and call(s) to win the pot immediately.
Stack: The total chips a player has, or to arrange cards dishonestly.
Stacked: Eliminated or having lost everything.
Staking: Providing bankroll to a player in exchange for profit share.
Stand: In Blackjack, to decline additional cards and keep your current hand.
Standard American: Traditional bidding system in North America.
Standard Deviation: Measure of result variability around the average.
Standoff: A tie between player and banker in Baccarat.
Starter: The card cut after the deal in Cribbage, shared by all hands.
Starting Flight: One of multiple starting sessions for the same tournament.
Static Board: A board unlikely to change hand values on later streets.
Stayman: A bidding convention used to find a major suit fit after 1NT.
Steam: Betting recklessly after losses, similar to tilt.
Steel Wheel: A straight flush from Ace to Five.
Stick the Dealer: Rule forcing dealer to name trump if all others pass.
Stiff: Someone who doesn't tip.
Stock: The remaining deck after dealing, from which players draw.
Stöck Jass: King and Queen of trumps in Jass.
Stone Bubble: Finishing exactly on the bubble, just before money.
Stop Card: Card displayed during skip bids requiring pause.
Stopper: A high card that will prevent opponents from running a suit.
Stops Game: Games where play stops when needed card is unavailable.
Stoß: Doubling the stakes in Jass.
Straddle: Voluntary blind bet double the big blind.
Straight: A poker hand of five consecutive cards of mixed suits.
Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit, the second-best poker hand.
Stratification: Dividing players into skill categories for separate awards.
String Bet: An illegal bet made in multiple motions.
Strip Shuffle: Taking small groups from top and placing on table.
Strong Bid: A bid showing significant high-card points.
Strong Club System: System where 1♣ opening shows strong hand.
Strong Two Bid: Opening at two-level showing powerful hand (old style).
Suckout: Winning by hitting a lucky card despite being behind.
Sueca: A Portuguese/African trick-taking game popular in Angola and Mozambique.
Suit: One of the four categories in a standard deck: hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades.
Suit Preference: Indicating which suit you want partner to lead.
Suit Solo: A solo game with a chosen trump suit in German games.
Suited Connectors: Two consecutive cards of the same suit.
Suited Gappers: Suited cards with a gap between ranks.
Supra: Re-redoubling in Jass.
Surrender: Forfeiting half your bet to avoid playing out a hand.
Survivor: Tournament where lasting past a level wins equal prize.
Sweat: To watch someone play with emotional investment.
Sweep: Capturing all cards on the table in one play, earning bonus points.
Sweep Bonus: Extra points for capturing all table cards in one play.
Swiss Pairs: A bridge format pairing players by similar scores.
Switch: A shedding game with special action cards.
Switch Card: Action card in various shedding games.
Table: The two cards set aside in Zole, taken by the declarer.
Table Change: Moving to a different game or table.
Table Image: How opponents perceive your playing style.
Table Selection: Choosing which game to play based on opponent quality.
Table Stakes: A rule where players can only bet chips currently on the table.
Table Talk: Discussion at the table, which may be restricted during active hands.
Tableau: The layout of cards on the table in solitaire games.
TAG: Tight-Aggressive playing style, playing few hands but very aggressively.
Takeout: A bid asking partner to choose a suit.
Talon: The remaining cards after the deal, often used as a draw pile.
Tane: Animal cards in Hanafuda, worth 10 points.
Tank: Taking a long time to make a decision.
Tanto: Points or the score in Spanish card games.
Tanzaku: Poetry ribbon cards in Hanafuda, worth 5 points.
Tarneeb: A popular Middle Eastern trick-taking game similar to Spades.
Tarock: The trump suit in Tarot games, or the games themselves.
Tell: A physical or behavioral clue about a player's hand strength.
Tempo: The timing and initiative in play, controlling the pace of the game.
Tempo Bridge: Speed of making bids and plays.
Tenace: Holding the first and third best cards in a suit (e.g., A-Q).
Texas Transfer: Jump transfer showing six-card major.
Thin Value: Betting for value with a marginal hand.
Third Street: First betting round in Seven-Card Stud after three cards dealt.