Poker Terminology

adjective used to describe a situation where all resources or effort are being used

adverb used to describe an action done with full commitment or effort

preposition used to indicate inclusion or completeness

• The decision to invest all in one stock is risky.
• I went all in on that bet and lost everything.
• I'm all in for a movie night with popcorn and snacks.
• She put all in her heart and soul into her passion for painting.

noun a stake or specific amount of money that each poker player must put into the pot before receiving cards

preposition used to indicate that something is done before a particular event or time

• The ante for the poker game is $20.
• Hey, can you ante up for the pizza?
• I'm not gonna ante for that nonsense.
• She knew she had to ante up her efforts if she wanted to succeed.

noun a steep cliff, bank, or promontory

verb to try to deceive someone by making them believe something that is not true

adjective having a broad, steep face

• The businessman tried to bluff his way through the negotiations.
• Don't believe him, he's just bluffing.
• She's really good at calling someone's bluff.
• His confident demeanor was just a bluff to hide his insecurities.

noun a hand in poker containing four cards of the same suit

verb to bluff or deceive in poker by pretending to have a strong hand

• The poker player attempted a four flush by drawing for a fifth card of the same suit.
• He thought he could pull off a four flush in the game, but ended up losing.
• I went all in on a four flush, hoping to scare off the other players.
• Her promises were just a four flush, with no real intention of following through.

noun a poker hand containing three of a kind and a pair

adjective describing a situation where all the seats in a venue are occupied

• The theater had a full house for the opening night of the new play.
• We had a full house at the party last night, it was packed!
• The concert was lit, it was a full house in there!
• When all my family comes over for the holidays, it's a full house at my place.

noun a person who gives unwanted advice or comments, especially as a spectator at a card game

• The kibitzer offered unsolicited advice during the chess match.
• The kibitzer couldn't help but chime in with their two cents.
• That kibitzer is always butting in where they don't belong.
• She felt like a kibitzer in the midst of a heated argument between her friends.

noun a facial expression that does not show any emotion, typically used in poker to deceive opponents

• She maintained a stoic poker face throughout the entire business negotiation.
• I can never tell if Sarah is bluffing or not because she always has her poker face on.
• I had my poker face on during the exam so the teacher wouldn't suspect I was cheating.
• Despite the chaos around her, she kept a poker face and remained calm and collected.

adjective showing no emotion or expression on one's face, especially in a poker game

adverb in a poker-faced manner, without showing emotions or expressions

• She remained poker faced throughout the entire negotiation, revealing nothing of her true feelings.
• Even though he was nervous, he managed to stay poker faced during the job interview.
• I tried to keep a poker faced expression when my friend told a funny joke, but I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
• Despite the chaos around her, she stayed poker faced, showing no sign of fear or panic.

noun a refusal to change one's position or opinion

verb to refuse to change one's position or opinion

• The company decided to stand pat on their current pricing strategy.
• I think we should just stand pat and not make any changes for now.
• Let's just stand pat and see how things play out.
• Sometimes it's best to just stand pat and trust that things will work out in the end.

adjective showing no emotion or amusement; serious

adverb in a serious or unemotional manner

• Despite the shocking news, the diplomat remained straight faced during the press conference.
• Even after the embarrassing joke, he managed to stay straight faced.
• I can't believe she kept a straight face when he told that ridiculous story.
• She delivered the bad news with a straight face, hiding her true emotions.

noun a slow, deliberate movement or action

verb to move or act slowly and deliberately

• The slow roll of the economy has economists concerned about a possible recession.
• I can't stand being stuck behind someone doing a slow roll on the highway.
• Why are you slow rolling me on responding to my text messages?
• The investigation into the corruption scandal is starting to slow roll, with new evidence trickling in slowly.

noun A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this phrase, 'hand' is a noun as it refers to a part of the body.

verb A word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. In this phrase, 'tip' is a verb as it indicates the action of revealing or exposing something.

pronoun A word that can function as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g. I, you) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g. he, she, it). In this phrase, 'your' is a pronoun as it replaces the

• It is not advisable to tip your hand during negotiations.
• Don't tip your hand too soon in the game.
• Hey, don't tip your hand before we make a decision.
• She didn't want to tip her hand about her true feelings.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

article a word that specifies a noun as definite or indefinite

• It is advisable to keep sensitive information close to the vest in a corporate setting.
• I always keep my plans close to the vest so no one can steal my ideas.
• Hey, don't spill the beans about the surprise party, keep it close to the vest!
• She tends to keep her emotions close to the vest, not revealing much about how she truly feels.

adjective of the highest quality or rank; excellent

adverb in an excellent or superior manner

• The poker player won the round with an ace-high straight.
• I had an ace-high hand in the game last night.
• My ace-high bluff totally worked!
• Her performance was ace-high, earning her a standing ovation.