5 Ways New Poker Players Can Learn the Game's Terminology

If you are just starting out in poker and want to quickly move from being a novice at the tables to a pro, then you might want to consider brushing up on your poker terminology, which means learning the key phrases that are often used in the game. 

With that said, here are five simple and effective ways that new poker players can learn the game’s terminology, which can then be used the next time you play online casino poker on the iGaming industry’s best net casinos.

Beginner poker players need to learn at least the basic poker terminology. 

For example, unexpectedly hearing certain phrases at the table, whether you play competitive poker against other players or computer-generated/live dealer poker at an online casino, can sometimes throw people off their game and cause them to make the wrong decision.

In other words, learning the lingo and the abbreviations that are commonly used in poker can build your confidence, make you a better player and, hopefully, lead to you being more successful at the tables.

It’s crucial for understanding any poker variants that you decide to try, and it can even help you communicate better with any other players (or the dealers) that you strike up conversations with.  

Understanding poker terminology will quickly bring you up to speed with the game, and it will help you grasp certain gameplay situations. 

You will be able to analyse hands better and understand what betting options are available and worth placing or avoiding. It will also help you understand what’s happening when those terms and phrases pop up, or when commentators are discussing the game in any poker-themed novels, movies, or television shows that you watch.

Getting to grips with the key terms should also enable you to enjoy the game more and feel less like a newbie.

If you are ready to up your game and learn poker terminology, there are several ways that you can go about it, including the following:

1. Invest in a book or take advantage of online resources to learn poker terminology. They usually have comprehensive poker glossaries containing every unique term and a detailed explanation of what each term means
2. Watch poker videos and streams on trusted video sharing platforms, such as YouTube or Twitch, or, if you sign up to an online casino, you can launch a live dealer poker game and listen to the discussions that players have with each other (and the dealers) to get up to speed with the lingo. You don’t have to place a wager, but make sure you switch on the socially interactive chat feature to view the live conversations
3. Use poker terminology revision/flashcards and use them as often as possible to quickly memorise the key poker terms
4. Play poker regularly and then, where possible, start using the terms that you have learned 
5. Play poker with experienced poker players to pick up various other terms that might not be found in any books or movies about the game

Learning the poker terms shouldn’t take too long, and once you have mastered the basics, it should give you the confidence to start playing. Another way of learning poker terminology is to listen to popular poker podcasts. 

Start with the basics, and learn terms such as call, fold, ante, raise, all-in, blind, bluff, bad beat, check, river, turn card, flop, and buy-in, and then you can move on to other terms, such as bluffing, pocket-pair, position, pre-flop, kicker, and so on.

You might also want to learn the various slang names for certain hands, such as pocket rockets, deuces, big slick, bullets, ladies, sailboats, ducks, Anna Kournikova, The Nuts, and Dead Man’s Hand, to name just a few. The list goes on. 

Learning poker terminology can be fun, so don’t be too disheartened or feel too overwhelmed by how much there is to learn. You don’t have to learn them, but it would serve you well if you at least learn the basics. Just remember to gamble responsibly when you play poker online, and try to take frequent session breaks.