Poker has a language somewhat
to itself. Here is a glossary to familiarize yourself with poker terminology.
Many of the words in this glossary are linked to one another. If you
click a link within a definition, click your browser's "back" button
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When everyone at the table decides to enter a pot (e.g., see the flop in hold'em), it's said to be a family pot.
Fast
To play fast is to play aggressively. The opposite of playing slow. See also speeding.
Favorite
The hand that is expected to win most often in a particular situation. In hold'em, AA is always a pre-flop favorite. If the flop is 775, the player with 75 is now a pretty big favorite.
Felt
The surface of most poker tables is made of some sort of felt, or is in any case referred to as such. A player who is running out of chips rapidly can be referred to as "down to the felt."
Fifth Street
Another name for the river card (the last community card)
Fill Up
To draw to and make a full house either from trips or two pair.
Fish
A bad player. A terrible player. A player who will tend to give away lots of money. Fish-ness can also be relative. Common poker wisdom holds that if you can't find the fish at your table, you're it. See also provider.
Fishhook
A nickname for a jack, more often heard in the plural.
Five Card Draw
Probably the most well known poker game, although it's not widely played in public cardrooms anymore. Each player receives five cards. There is a round of betting, after which each player may draw a certain number of cards (house rules often stipulate how many may be drawn and under what circumstances). Then there is a second round of betting, and (if necessary) a showdown.
Flat Call
Flat call is a way of saying call that emphasizes the fact that the player didn't raise. See also smooth call.
Floor
See floorperson.
Floorman
A gender-specific form of floorperson.
Floorperson
In a cardroom floorpeople are responsible for the moment to moment management of the cardroom - seating players, starting new tables, settling disputes, generally making sure the cardroom runs smoothly. You'll probably hear the "floorman" or "floor" more often
Flop
A number of games, such as hold'em and omaha, are played with five community cards. The first three of these cards are dealt all at once, and are called the flop. Games with a flop can be called flop games.
To flop a hand is to make that hand on the flop. To "see" the flop is to still be in the hand when the flop comes.
Flush
A hand in which all five cards share the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the hand with the highest card not in common is better. So AK873 of hearts is a better flush than AK872 of diamonds. Not much better.
Fold
To abandon your hand, usually because someone else has made a larger bet than you are willing to call. Usually, one folds by mucking one's cards.
Forced Bet
Just what it sounds like - a bet that one is forced to place, typically a blind bet or a bring-in.
Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank. Also called quads. For example, if you hold 88882, you have quad 8's
Fourflush
A hand with four cards of the same suit. If there are no cards remaining to come (or to draw), a fourflush is not very useful.
Free Card
Whenever you get to see an additional card without having to call a bet, it's a free card (usually this means it's been checked around). Generally speaking, you'd like to get free cards when you need to improve, and you'd like to avoid giving free cards when you're ahead.
Freeroll
Whenever you have at least part of the pot locked up and you still have a chance to outdraw your opponents, you're said to be freerolling on them. In hold'em, this happens when you and another player have the same hand at the moment, but you also have a draw to a better hand. At worst you'll tie, but you have a chance to win the whole pot while the other player doesn't. For example, if you hold AhKh and the flop is As6h4h, you have a freeroll on a player holding AdKd. While you both have the same hand at the moment, you might still make a flush, while they can't outdraw you.
Freeroll tournaments are tournaments with no apparent entry fee or initial buy-in. Such tournaments are typically promotional events cardrooms host in order to attract players. Sometimes players must clock a certain number of hours in the cardroom in order to qualify, or meet some other requirement.
Freezeout
Any tournament format in which you cannot re-buy. A freezeout is a good format for heads-up pot-limit or no-limit play, since the amount at stake can be fixed in advance, and the competitors can use arbitrarily valued chips as in tournaments.
Full House
A hand consisting of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. AAA33 is aces full of threes, often abbreviated to "aces full." To fill up is to draw to and make a full house. Also called a boat.
