J

(n) Abbreviation for a jack, usually found only in written text about cards. J, for example, is the jack of hearts.

1. (n) A face card, the one that ranks between the 10 and the queen. 2. (v) raise. "I'll jack it" means "I'll raise." "I'll jack the pot." Often part of the phrase jack it, jack up, or jack it up.

(n) Jack (the card).

(n) In hold 'em, a 3 and a 9 as the downcards, from Benny's running gag about his age.

(n phrase) 1. In high poker, a no pair hand whose highest card is a jack. "I have a jack high; can you beat that?" "Yeah, I got queen high." 2. In low poker, a hand topped by a jack.

(adj) Pertaining to a straight or flush topped by a jack. "I was drawing to a jack-high flush but all I made was jack high."

(v phrase) raise.

(v phrase) raise.

(n phrase) Jack (the card).

(n) A progressive prize in some cardrooms given to the player who gets, in lowball, a 6-4 beat, or, in high, a given hand, perhaps aces full, or four of a kind, beat. The procedure for collection of the prize fund differs in each cardroom. In some, part of the antes or blinds, called the jackpot drop is taken each hand and added to the jackpot fund. The procedure for awarding the jackpot also varies widely. In some clubs, the fund is for all games; in others, it is for a specific game. That is, for example, the 2-4 hold 'em may have one jackpot, while the 3-6 and 5-10 each has its own separate jackpot. The usual procedure is the holder of the beaten hand receives the largest share of the jackpot; the holder of the hand that beats the loser receives a smaller percentage; while the remainder of the players split a third portion. The division might be 50% of the jackpot to the loser, 25% to the holder of the winning hand, and 25% split to the other players at the table. Other divisions are found, also. In some large clubs, the jackpots frequently grow into the tens of thousands of dollars, leading to the interesting phenomenon of players specifically trying to get their hands beat, and often staying in for several bets on hands they might not otherwise play. The rules for collection and disbursement of jackpots changed in California in 1998, but the effect remains about the same. Also called bad beat jackpot.

(n phrase) See jackpot.

(n phrase) Poker with jackpots. See jackpot.

(n) A form of high draw poker, in which a player cannot open the pot without holding at least two jacks as openers (definition 1) before the draw. This is the same as jacks or better; the term jackpots is mostly used in home games.

(n phrase) A form of five-card draw poker (definition 1) in which each player in turn looks at his cards, and opens if he has jacks or better (and if he wishes). If no player opens for high--and to do so he must have at least a pair of jacks (and he must show openers at some point)--then the hand is played for low (as described under ace-to-five), again starting with the player to the left of the dealer. At this point, the game becomes bet-or-fold.

(n phrase) A full house consisting of three jacks and another pair.

(n) Jack (the card).

(n) Jack (the card).

(n phrase) Jack (the card).

(n phrase) high draw poker in which the opener must have at least a pair of jacks to open, and be prepared to show openers (definition 1) before the pot is out of play; if no one opens, players ante again, sometimes the limit increases, and the next dealer deals. Also sometimes called jackpots, a term mostly used in home games. Compare with straight draw.

(n phrase) 1. jacks up. 2. jacks full.

(n phrase) Same as jacks or better.

(n phrase) A jack marked by shaving its long edge so that a thief can determine its rank by feel.

(n phrase) A high draw game, usually found only in private or home games, played jacks or better required to open and three of a kind to win. If no one qualifies after the draw, the money in the pot remains for the next hand in which someone does qualify, with the same two sets of qualifications needed in each pot. Usually the players add a new ante each deal.

(n phrase) two pair, the higher of which are jacks.

(v phrase) 1. Raise the limits. "Let's jack up this game!" means let's play for higher stakes. 2. raise. "Let's jack up this pot!" means "I raise."

(n) Jack (the card).

(v) 1. Make the hand you're drawing to. In draw, you might say, "I jammed the straight flush." In lowball, if you jam a hand, you catch inside. 2. Raise; sometimes raise all one's chips in a no-limit game. Often part of the phrase ram and jam. 3. Bet all one's chips in a no-limit game.

(v phrase) jam (definition 1).

(v phrase) jam (definition 1).

(n phrase) A pot with lots of betting, raising, and reraising.

(v phrase) jam (definition 2).

1. (v phrase) jam (definition 1). 2. (adv phrase) Specifically as drawn to, with reference to a drawing hand. "I made the six jam up" means that a player, in lowball, was drawing to a 6-high hand and caught the perfect card. If, for example, his cards before the draw were 6-5-3-A, he caught either a 2 or a 4, and, probably, specifically a 2.

(adv, adj) 1. A way of playing: very good, or very tight. "He's playing jam-up and jelly-tight." 2. Really good, usually describing a game. "You want table 3; it's jam-up."

(n) Jack (the card).

(n) Jack (the card).

(n) Jack (the card).

(n) Jack (the card).

(n) The nuts. "Get in a pot with him and he'll show you Jerusalem." More commonly called the Holy City.

(n) Jesse James (definition 1). If you raise me out of a pot, I might say, "Take it, Jesse." This implies that you have bluffed me out with your bet.

(n phrase) 1. A pot stealer; a bluffer. 2. In hold 'em, a 4 and a 5 as the downcards, because legend has it the famous outlaw was shot with a .45.

(n phrase, rhyming) In lowball, a 6-high hand.

(n) $5 or a $5 chip. Comes from the five cents that used to be the fare on a jitney bus.

(v phrase) In hold' em, 6-9 as one's first two cards. Named after a famous gambler and high roller of the 20s and 30s.

(n phrase) The shift manager; the boss. "Who's the Joe Goz around here?"

(n) brief.

(v phrase) A cut made to a brief by a cheater, such that a desired clump of cards ends up at a specified location of the deck, usually right at the top or at the bottom.

(n) 1. Jack (the card). 2. Easy prey for a thief; ignorant or naive player. From the slang term for a prostitute's customer.

(n) Jack (the card).

(v phrase) In hold ' em, A-T as one's first two cards.

(n) Cardroom; gambling establishment. Also called store or shop. Sometimes part of the phrase bust-out joint, carpet joint, juice joint, sawdust joint.

(n) 1. The 53rd card, generally used only in draw games. In California cardrooms, it's usually the bug. Also man with the star, nose picker, etc. 2. In home games, the joker is often completely wild, that is, it can represent any card. Thus, in addition to making an extra ace or filling any straight or flush, it also can make a pair with any single card, three of a kind with any pair, a full house with any two pair, four of a kind with any triplets, or five of a kind (a hand that ranks higher than any straight flush) with any four of a kind. Sometimes two jokers are used in home games, producing a 54-card deck.

(n phrase) Any poker game in which a joker is used. Also called poker with the joker.

(n phrase) joker trouble.

(n phrase) joker wild.

(n phrase) In lowball, drawing more than one card because one has the joker; usually used as an excuse to justify what others might otherwise criticize as a bad play. "Gimme two. I've got joker trouble."

(n phrase) Any poker game in which a joker is used as a wild card. Also called poker with the joker.

(n) Queen (the card).

(n phrase) Three 10s, probably referring to 30 days, one of the many sentences the frontier judge was famous for handing out.

(n phrase) Three 10s, probably referring to "30 days or $30," a common sentence handed down for pleading guilty in the 1930s and 40s to illegal gambling, by this (probably) generic judge.

(n) The queen of hearts. May come from the Bible.

1. (n) Markings on cards (put there by a thief). 2. A percentage of each pot kept by the house; also called rake or vigorish. 3. (v) To mark a deck.

(n phrase) A crooked cardroom or gambling establishment, particularly one with marked cards. Also called wire joint.

(n) Liveliness; gamble (definition 1). "I like his action. He's got a lot of jump."

(n phrase) hop the cut.

(v phrase) come in cold. Also, hop the fence.