Dead Man's Hand And Other Online Poker Terminology

Playing online poker lets you into another world. Its a game of excitement, strategy, crucial decisions, bluffs, and reading your opponents. Not to mention the big wins. While anybody can pick up poker, it takes some time, effort, skill and know-how to really excel.

One of the crucial elements of fitting in in the world of poker and being able to play the game is understanding the rules and the terminology. We’ll take you through some common poker terms, particularly looking at a name for a poker card combination called the dead man’s hand.

The Dead Man’s Hand

This is a poker hand made famous because it’s believed to be the cards Wild Bill or Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot. He was playing a poker game in the saloon. The fifth card in his hand is much debated, but the dead man’s hand is two aces and two eights, usually spades and clubs.

The Nuts

When talking about playing a hand or winning a game of online poker, you often hear the term the nuts. This refers to the best possible hand at that moment. Of course, we know the winning hand in poker, e.g. royal flush, but the best possible hand depends on what’s on the table. You should be able to work out if you have the nuts.

Hole Cards

When you are playing a form of online poker that involves community cards, then you will also have hole cards. The community cards are the ones face up on the table in the center. Hole cards are the ones in your hand. For example, you receive four hole cards in Omaha Poker, but only two in Texas Hold’em.

The saying an Ace in the Hole refers to when one of your hole cards is an ace, meaning you have a good chance at a winning pair or combination.

The Flop

The flop refers to the community cards being dealt in a game such as Texas Hold’em or Omaha poker. The flop occurs after three of the community cards have been dealt to the center of the table.

The Turn or Fourth Street

Since there are different strategies and decisions to be made as community cards are dealt, each stage has its own name. Typically a betting round follows each stage. When the fourth community card is dealt, it is known as the turn. It can also be known as Fourth Street, which is the term for receiving the fourth card in stud poker.

The River

Another crucial decision stage is known as the River. This is when the fifth community card is dealt in games like Omaha and Texas Hold’em. In stud games, it is when the last card is dealt. For example, the seventh card of seven-card stud.

The Round-up

We hope these tips help you understand more about the world of online poker and that you enjoy playing the game in all its varieties. Remember not to fear the dead man’s hand, it could actually mean winning.

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