Seven Famous Poker Terms Every Player Should Know

April 7th, 2010  |  Published in Inrodution

Poker is more then a game, it is a culture. A culture of people who like to have fun, compete, and win big. Being a part of that culture goes beyond knowing the rules of the games, you have to be able to walk the walk and talk the talk. Learning the walk takes time, and a significant amount of practice. Learning the talk, however, is much easier. Just read on for the most commonly heard phrases around the poker table.

Seven Poker Phrases a Poker Player Must Learn

1. Bank Roll: A bank roll is the money you have to work with when you walk in to a casino or poker room. Your bank roll represents that sum total of what you plan to gamble at the table.

2. Dealer’s Choice: Commonly heard in at-home poker games, dealer’s choice simply means the dealer is allowed to choose which game will be played at the table. He or she is also allowed to decide on any wild cards that will be used during the game.

3. Fish: A fish is the player loosing the most money at the poker table. Fish is a term commonly heard in casinos. Casino employees, and opposing players, are always on the look out for the fish.

3. Full Ring: A full ring is a poker table that has reached its maximum number of players. How many players a table must have to be a full ring depends on the game.

4. Marked Cards: Marked cards refer to a deck of cards that have been marked on the back side of each card so that a player can see what they are from both sides. Mark cards are a form of cheating in poker.

5. Pot: The pot refers to the amount of money in the pool for pot games or the amount of money bet so far in an individual hand for non-pot games. There is a minimum and maximum pot placed in some poker games.

6. Rake: A rake is what the house will collect for holding a poker game. A percentage of each hand is placed in to the rake and the house collects the total at the end.

7. Showdown: The showdown occurs at the end of each hand. During the showdown, every player still in the game must show their cards.

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The Different Styles of Poker Players

March 10th, 2010  |  Published in Inrodution

No two poker players are created equal. Each player will have their own strategy, betting style, and set of codes that they live by at the poker table. However, there are certain recognizable types of poker styles. These styles play heavily in to your poker game. Can you spot the different poker styles at your table?

The Shark

A shark is a common term to describe a highly skilled poker player that can weed out the less-skilled players at the table and quietly eat away at their bank roll. Sharks tend to play a very conservative and aggressive game of poker. On average, a shark only plays 20% of the hands they are dealt. When they do play those hands, they play them very aggressively, raising bets and calling frequently.

The Passive Player

A passive player is completely non-aggressive in their playing style. They will play more hands then a shark, but are not likely to raise many hands. Instead, the passive player will bide their time, waiting for other players to take more aggressive action. Patience is a virtue in poker, and can win a passive player several hands. However, their lack of aggression can cost them the bigger winnings.

The Fish

A fish is a term used to describe an inexperienced poker player. The typically fish will play most, if not every hand. More often then not a fish is not sure when to raise and when to call so they will alternate between the two. This can be incredibly frustrating to more experienced players who are trying to gauge the fish’s patterns.

The Manic Player

A manic player is a loose cannon at the poker table. Manic players often act quickly and aggressively without using much strategy or consideration. They will bet high and raise often, regardless of the hand they are holding. There are a couple of advantages to playing a manic style. For one, the other players will doubt the manic players hand most of the time, meaning the player can sweep the table with a good hand. However, playing manically almost never pays out in the long run as the high cost of betting can quickly diminish the player’s bankroll

What style of poker player are you? Almost every player at the table has a style, some without even realizing it. A good poker player knows how to recognize these styles quickly and use them to their advantage by playing against their opponents weaknesses.

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