Encyclopedia > Poker jargon starting with H

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Poker jargon starting with H

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half bet rule: In some casinos, the rule that placing chips equal to or greater than half the normal bet amount beyond the amount required to call constitutes a commitment to raise the normal amount. For example, in a game with a $4 fixed limit, a player facing a $4 opening bet who places $6 in the pot is deemed to have raised, and must complete his bet to $8. The alternative is the "full bet rule".

half kill: A kill for less than double the normal limits. For example, a $6 game may have a kill for $9 rather than the usual $12.

half-pot limit: A betting structure[?] resembling pot limit[?], but which allows maximum raises of half the amount in the pot rather than the full amount.

hammer To bet and raise agressively. Nora kept hammering, so I folded. "Having the hammer" is being in last position, especially head up. You've got the hammer; I check to you.

hand The set of cards played by one player. A single instance of a game of poker, begun by shuffling the cards and ending with the award of a pot. Also called a "deal" (though both terms are ambiguous).

hand for hand: In tournament play, the act of equalizing the number of hands played at two or more tables by waiting for slower tables to finish each hand before beginning the next hand on every table. This is usually done to ensure an accurate finishing order to distribute prize money.

hard Agressive and uncompromising, said of one's play. Jim played me hard all night; I could never get a break. Chips, as opposed to paper money. I gave the floorman $100 for $50 hard and $50 soft.

head up, heads up: Playing against a single opponent. After Lori folded, Frank and I were head up for the rest of the hand.

high, high hand: The best hand using traditional poker hand values, as opposed to lowball. Used especially in high-low split games.
high card A no pair[?] hand, ranked according to its highest-ranking cards. To defeat another player by virtue of high-ranking cards, especially a kickers. To randomly select a player for some purpose by having each draw one card, the highest of which is selected (for example, to decide who deals first). When all the players get here, we'll high card for the button. Often high card by suit[?] is used for this purpose.

high-low, high-low split: Any of several games in which the pot is divided between the player with the best conventional poker hand and the best lowball hand.

hit and run: To play for a short time, make money, and leave. Also called "chopping" a game.

hog, hogger: To win all of the pot in a split-pot game, for example, by having both the best high hand and best low hand simulataneously. Also called "scooping" the pot.

hole, hole card Face-down cards. I think Willy has two more queens in the hole. A seat, often preceded by a number relative to the button. Sara opened from the 2-hole.

Hollywood: Overt acting to deceive other players. Karl had a big smile when he bet, but it seemed too Hollywood to me, so I called anyway.

horse: A player financially backed by someone else. I lost today, but Larry was my horse in the stud game, and he won big.

H.O.R.S.E.: A combination game with five games played in rotation: Texas hold'em, Omaha hold'em, razz[?], seven-card stud, and eight-or-better seven-card stud high-low. Other combinations of the letters are often seen as well: S.H.O.E., H.O.E., etc.

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