Online Poker Slang

If you are confused about what chat room banter in online poker rooms actually means, take a look at the list of common online poker slang expressions, internet chat room jargon and poker shorthand.

Common Online Poker Expressions

Barnburner: A really good poker hand

Bubble: the positions in a poker tournament just before the money

BB: Online poker shorthand for ‘big blind’

Calling Station: a beginner or weak-passive player who calls almost any bet

Crack: To beat a powerful hand such as pocket aces

Donk/Donkey/Fish/Rabbit: A bad poker player

Dog: the underdog for the hand, in terms of odds.

Foot/Trash: Online poker slang for a poor hand.

g1: Short for ‘good one’. The expression is often seen in online poker chat.

gc: Short for ‘good call’. Especially used when a player successfully calls a bluff.

h/e: An abbreviation for Texas Hold’Em, usually seen in online poker.

IGHN: A common online poker acronym which stands for ‘I go home now’.

LL: Low limit

Loosey: A poker player that employs a loose strategy by playing many hands and betting, raising, and calling often.

Maniac: a poker player that appears to bet and raise and bluff, often wildly and recklessly

n1: ‘Nice One’

nc: Short for ‘nice call’. Especially used when a player successfully calls a bluff.

Nh: ‘Nice Hand’

n/l: Internet poker shorthand for ‘No-Limit’

NLH: ‘No-limit Hold’Em’

Nuts: The best possible hand for the given board. The ‘nut flush’ would refer to the best possible flush.

p/l: ‘Pot Limit’

River Rat/Lucker: A poor poker player that makes their hand on the final card (‘the river’ or ‘fifth street’) by calling bets even though the odds are heavily stacked against them.

Rock: The opposite of a loosey

SB: Internet poker shorthand for ‘small blind’

SNG: An online poker sit-and-go tournament

On Tilt: To play abnormally poorly, often after taking a string of bad beats

Tx: ‘Thanks’

Ty: ‘Thank You’. This is the customary response to ‘nh’

Tyvm: ‘Thank you very much’

Shark: A skilled poker player that preys on the fish

Up: Refers to winnings, i.e ‘How much are you up?’