When you need this
Friends in Toronto have a game night on the first Friday of the month: snacks on the table, plastic chips in a box, and a deck of cards. Nobody is playing for money; the chips are only for keeping score, and the winner gets the last slice of pizza. Poker night still has its own vocabulary, and people use it fast.
Most poker words are actions. On your turn you can check (do nothing and pass the turn), call (match what someone else put in), raise (put in more chips) or fold (give up this hand). The rest are about the cards and the table. Learn the four actions first, because you'll say one of them every single turn.
Phrases
the full set of fifty-two cards
hand out the cards; the person who does it
the cards you hold, or one round of the game
the colored plastic pieces used instead of money
all the chips put in during one hand, which the winner takes
pass the turn without adding chips
put in the same number of chips as the player before you
put in more chips than the player before you
give up this hand and put your cards down
put every chip you have into the pot
two cards of the same number; two different sets of two
five cards of the same suit, like five hearts
acting like you have good cards when you don't
a face that shows no feelings, so no one can read you
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the poker word for each action or idea.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.