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(n phrase) In any round of betting, a bet made by one player that is not matched by any other player (nor is any other player all in, which would still necessitate a showdown), thus giving the pot to the player who made the bet. Compare with called hand.

(adj) In a high-low game with community cards (as Omaha or hold 'em), describing a nut low hand that still makes a nut low if one (after the turn) or two (on the flop) of the active low cards are duplicated. For example, in Omaha you hold A-2-3-J, and the board is 4-7-8-T. Even if the river is A or 2, you still have the nut low. See counterfeited.

(v) In a big bet game, make a bet smaller than one ordinarily might or than the situation calls for, sometimes in the hopes of enticing a raise (when one has a "monster") and sometimes to keep from having to call a larger bet if one passed instead of betting. Also see protection bet, slow-down bet.

1. (v) At the showdown, declare your hand as being worse than it is. Many cardrooms, particularly in California, have a penalty for overcalling a hand, in which they rule that if a player miscalls his hand as being better than it is, causing another player to discard his hand, he may lose claim to the pot; that is, the verbal announcement takes precedence over the actual cards. There is no penalty for undercalling a hand, but, except for accidentally, it is usually done only to needle another player by making that player briefly think she has the winner. 2. (n) The act of so doing.

(v) 1. Suffer an occurrence in low-hole-card-wild stud games in which a player's last downcard is lower than his current lowest card, thus lowering the value of his hand. 2. Shuffle the deck in a cheating fashion, consisting of moving a prearranged packet from the bottom to the top of the deck, to produce a stacked deck.

(n) Before all the cards are out in a stud game, or before the draw in a draw game, a hand that does not have the best chance of winning. Often called dog. Opposite of favorite.

(n) Any full house other than that special hand known as big full, that is, three aces and two kings.

(n) In hold 'em, a player's pair lower than any card among the community cards. For example, you start with 7-7, and the flop is A-Q-9. Compare with overpair.

(v) underbet.

(adv phrase) To the dealer's left; often refers to the first person to bet in a particular round.

(n phrase) 1. A traveling blind game in which the first player to the dealer's left blinds the pot. 2. The blind so put in, or the player who puts it in.

(adv phrase) under the gun.

(v) In draw poker, an exhortation, by the dealer, for the players to discard and reveal how many cards they're drawing.

(adv) on tilt; usually preceded by come. "He just came unglued after he had pocket aces beat for the second time by the same live one."

(n phrase) 1. In lowball, a 7-6 hand; so called because a lowball hand is often expressed as a two-digit number composed of the top two cards of the hand, so a 7-6 can be called a 76. Comes from the symbol of the oil company. 2. In high, two pair, 7s and 6s. 3. In hold 'em, a 7 and 6 as one's first two cards.

(n) 1. A fixed betting quantity, usually equal to the size of the betting limit for the game. (See limit, definition 1.) 2. $1000. "I'm stuck a unit."

(n phrase) no limit.

(n phrase) A rebuy tournament in which players are permitted to rebuy as often as they wish, generally only during a certain period of time, as the first hour, the first three levels, etc.

(v) While cheating, get rid of unwanted cards, as drop them in one's lap, dispose of them in the discards, and so on. Also see clean up.

(n phrase) In draw poker (high and low), a potentially winning hand that needs a good draw to become strong. Without a favorable draw, the hand is a probable loser. For example, in lowball, joker-ace-deuce-trey, plus some useless card like a king, is the best possible one-card draw, but it is still an unmade hand that can be spoiled by catching a pair or face card. In high, three cards to a straight flush plus the joker (and some other unrelated card that will be discarded on the draw) is a good unmade hand.

(n phrase) A deck that has no markings, and presumably cannot be used for cheating (at least not by virtue of any marks). See marked cards.

(n phrase) A player who plays in few pots, and when he does, makes small bets and rarely raises, basically just plays along, apparently trying to last as long as possible. Also, a player who is the first to get into a given game, and the last to leave.

(v) Draw out on someone's pat hand (usually in high draw poker). "No cards, huh? Let's see if I can unpat you."

1. (adv) Winning. "How much you up?" 2. In high poker, two pair, when referring only to the higher pair; always preceded by the rank of the high pair. Kings up is two pair, with kings as the high pair and any lower pair as the low pair. Also see over. 3. Having anted (said of a player). "Is everyone up?" 4. In stud games, having the highest face-up card. 5. On the list for a particular game. "My name's on the 6-12 list' how about you?" "Yeah, I'm up." Compare with up for. 6. (v) raise. "I'll up that bet." "Let's up the ante."

(n) 1. In a stud game, a card dealt to a player face up, as opposed to a downcard. 2. In a game with community cards, any card dealt face up in the center of the table, and usually available to be combined with any player's private cards. For both meanings, sometimes also called open card.

(adv phrase) Having one's name on the list (the board) for a particular game. "Are you up for the 20-40?"

(adv phrase) Pertaining to an early betting position. "He came out swinging up front," in a no-limit game, means that the first bettor made a large bet, and implies the bet was made with no hesitation.

(adv) Fighting the odds; usually preceded by go. "You're going uphill whenever you're in a pot with him."

(v phrase) 1. A player says this in draw poker or lowball, usually when drawing one card and turning that card face up for the table to see, and that card (presumably) makes the hand. Comes from craps, where it is used in the situation in which a player sevens out. 2. Sometimes a player says this when catching the joker (or hoping to).

(n) In high (draw, usually), the top pair in a two-pair hand. If two players have two pair, one might say, "What are your ups?" wanting to know whether the other has, for example, aces up or kings up.

(v phrase) "I raise."

(v phrase) "I raise"; sometimes preceded by going.

(v phrase) "I raise"; sometimes "Up the slope went the antelope."

(adv phrase) Pertaining to the person whose turn it is to bet; often followed by a pronoun or the name of a player. "Who's it up to?" "It's up to Pete." A cardroom homily goes, "It's always up to the person who says, `Who's it up to?'"

(n) Another name for Cincinnati.

(n) UTG.

(n) Shorthand, particularly in e-mail and Internet postings, for under the gun. Sometimes utg.

(n phrase) A bet made by a player who is unsure of the precise main benefit of the bet, yet knows the bet has a positive expectation, that is, the bet might cause the player to prosper in any one of several ways. For instance, he might bet knowing his opponent could throw the better hand away, or his opponent could throw away a hand that is not better now but can draw out on him easily, or his opponent might call with the worst of it.