U

(n) Chat term for “you.”

(n) Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

(n phrase) In any round of betting, a bet made by one player that is not matched by any other player (nor is any other player all in, which would still necessitate a showdown), thus giving the pot to the player who made the bet. Compare with called hand.

(n) Not coordinated, as, for example, an uncoordinated flop. Also, ragged.

(n phrase) A board with no flush or straight draws.

(n phrase) A flop with no flush or straight draws.

(adj) In a high-low game with community cards (as Omaha or hold’em), describing a nut low hand that still makes a nut low if one (after the turn) or two (on the flop) of the active low cards are duplicated. For example, in Omaha you hold A-2-3-J, and the board is 4-7-8-T. Even if the river is A or 2, you still have the nut low. See counterfeited.

(v) In a big bet game, make a bet smaller than one ordinarily might or than the situation calls for, sometimes in the hopes of enticing a raise (when one has a monster) and sometimes to keep from having to call a larger bet if one passed instead of betting. Also see protection bet, slow-down bet.

(v) 1. At the showdown, declare your hand as being worse than it is. Some cardrooms have a penalty for overcalling a hand, in which they rule that if a player miscalls his hand as being better than it is, causing another player to discard his hand, he may lose claim to the pot; that is, the verbal announcement takes precedence over the actual cards. There is no penalty for undercalling a hand, but, except for accidentally, it is usually done only to needle another player by making that player briefly think she has the winner. — (n) 2. The act of so doing.

(adj) Not having enough bankroll for the particular game one is in or the limits one is playing. Also, underfunded.

(v) 1. Suffer an occurrence in low-hole-card-wild stud games in which a player’s last downcard is lower than his current lowest card, thus lowering the value of his hand. 2. Shuffle the deck in a cheating fashion, consisting of moving a prearranged packet from the bottom to the top of the deck, to produce a stacked deck.

(n) 1. Before all the cards are out in a stud or flop game, or before the draw in a draw game, a hand that does not have the best chance of winning. Often called dog. Opposite of favorite. 2. Any situation in which one side has the worst of it.

(n) 1. In a flop game, a full house in which the three of a kind portion combines with board cards to form a lower-ranking full house than one that combines with other board cards. For example, in hold’em, if the board is Q-8-3-J-Q, a player holding 8-8 has an underfull compared to someone holding Q-J, which is called an overfull. 2. Any full house other than that special hand known as big full, that is, three aces and two kings.

(adj) Undercapitalized.

(n) In hold’em, a player’s pair lower than any card among the community cards. For example, you start with 7-7, and the flop is A-Q-9. Compare with overpair.

(v) Underbet.

(n) Raise less than one ordinarily might or than the situation calls for. See underbet.

(v) In a two-pair hand, the lower pair; often in the situation in which two players both have the same higher pair. For example, Emilie has 9s over 8s and Chloe has 9s over 6s. Chloe says, “Your unders got me.” Compare with overs (definition 2).

(n) A lower set than another player. If you have pocket queens and an opponent has pocket kings, and the board is A-K-Q-7-2, you have an underset. The reverse of this situation is called overset.

(adv phrase) To the left of the big blind or to the dealer’s left; often refers to the first person to bet in a particular round.

(n phrase) 1. A traveling blind game in which the first player to the dealer’s left blinds the pot. 2. The blind so put in, or the player who puts it in.

(adv phrase) Under the gun.

(v) In draw poker, an exhortation, by the dealer, for the players to discard and reveal how many cards they’re drawing.

(adv) On tilt; usually preceded by come. “He just came unglued after he had pocket aces beat for the second time by the same live one.”

(n phrase) 1. In hold’em, a 7 and 6 as starting cards. 2. In lowball, a 7-6 hand; so called because a lowball hand is often expressed as a two-digit number composed of the top two cards of the hand, so a 7-6 can be called a 76. Comes from the symbol of the oil company. 3. In high, two pair, 7s and 6s.

(n) 1. A fixed betting quantity, usually equal to the size of the betting limit for the game. (See limit, definition 1.) For example, in a $20-$40 game, the unit size is $20, with the larger bets, the $40 ones, being two-unit bets. 2. $1,000. “I’m stuck a unit.”

(n phrase) Part of the Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006 (or SAFE Port Act), a rider that made it difficult to conduct online gaming by prohibiting US-based banks and credit card companies from transferring funds to online gaming sites. Often referred to as UIGEA.

(adj) No-limit.

(n phrase) No limit.

(n phrase) A rebuy tournament in which players are permitted to rebuy as often as they wish, generally only during a certain period of time, as the first hour, the first three levels, etc.

(v) While cheating, get rid of unwanted cards, as drop them in one’s lap, dispose of them in the discards, and so on. Also see clean up.

(n phrase) In any form of poker (high or low), a potentially winning hand that needs a good draw to become strong. Without a favorable draw, the hand is a probable loser. In high games, this would be four cards to a straight or flush. In low games, four low cards. For example, in ace-to-five lowball, joker-ace-2-3, plus some useless card like a king, is the best possible one-card draw, but it is still an unmade hand that can be spoiled by catching a pair or face card.

(n phrase) A deck that has no markings, and presumably cannot be used for cheating (at least not by virtue of any marks). See marked cards.

(n phrase) Dangler.

(adj) Referring to a pot in which no one has yet made an initial bet.

(n phrase) A player who plays in few pots, and when he does, makes small bets and rarely raises, basically just plays along, apparently trying to last as long as possible. Also, a player who is the first to get into a given game, and the last to leave.

(v) Draw out on someone’s pat hand (usually in high draw poker). “No cards, huh? Let’s see if I can unpat you.”

(adj) Describing a situation or hand so disadvantageous that it would make no sense to initiate or call any bets.

(n phrase) The cards one is holding in an unplayable situation.

(n phrase) The cards one is holding in an unplayable situation.

(n phrase) A hand (definition 3, 4, or 5) in which there are no raises in the first round of betting. “It was an unraised pot, so I thought I could come in light and take a chance on a good flop.”

(n phrase) A pot from which rake has not been taken. See raked pot.

(adv) Not stuck; even; often preceded by get. “If I ever get unstuck, I’m going to quit this game.”

(adv, adj) Not suited; offsuit.

(n phrase) In hold’em, two cards in sequence of different suits, usually with reference to hole cards, as, for example, 8♠ 9♣.

(adj) In a home game, playing behind (see play behind).

(adv) 1. Winning. “How much you up?” 2. In high poker, two pair, when referring only to the higher pair; always preceded by the rank of the high pair. Kings up is two pair, with kings as the high pair and any lower pair as the other pair. Also see over. 3. Having anted (said of a player). “Is everyone up?” 4. In stud games, having the highest face-up card. 5. On the list for a particular game. “My name’s on the 6-12 list; how about you?” “Yeah, I’m up.” Compare with up for. — (v) 6. Raise. “I’ll up that bet.” “Let’s up the ante.”

(n phrase) Open-ended straight draw.

(n) 1. In a stud game, a card dealt to a player face up, as opposed to a downcard. 2. In a game with community cards, any card dealt face up in the center of the table, and usually available to be combined with any player’s private cards. For both meanings, sometimes also called open card.

(adv phrase) Having one’s name on the list (the board, definition 4) for a particular game. “Are you up for the 20-40?”

(adv phrase) Pertaining to an early betting position. “He came out swinging up front,” in a no-limit game, means that the first bettor made a large bet, and implies the bet was made with no hesitation.

(adv) Fighting the odds; usually preceded by go. “You’re going uphill whenever you’re in a pot with him.” See go uphill.

(expression) 1. A player says this in draw poker or lowball, usually when drawing one card and turning that card face up for the table to see, and that card (presumably) makes the hand. Comes from craps, where it is used in the situation in which a player sevens out. 2. Sometimes a player says this when catching the joker (or hoping to). 3. Sometimes a player says this when, in a hold’em game, three 6s appear on the flop. (The number 666 has long been known in general usage as “the sign of the devil.” Comes from Revelation 13:17-18 in the King James Version of the Bible, wherein the number is associated with a “beast” that may or not be the devil.)

(n phrase) The limit of the later rounds of betting in double limit.

(n) In high (draw, usually), the top pair in a two-pair hand. If two players have two pair, one might say, “What are your ups?” wanting to know whether the other has, for example, aces up or kings up.

(expression) “I raise.”

(expression) “I raise”; sometimes preceded by going.

(n) A swing (definition 6) in a positive direction; a win, particularly coming on the heels of a losing streak.

(expression) “I raise”; sometimes “Up the slope went the antelope.”

(adv phrase) Increase the stakes. This expression has moved from the world of poker to general usage in the English language with a similar meaning, that is, for example, increase a bargaining price or commitment to an enterprise or negotiation.

(adv phrase) Pertaining to the person whose turn it is to bet; often followed by the designation of a player. “Who’s it up to?” “It’s up to Pete.” A cardroom homily goes, “It’s always up to the person who says, ‘Who’s it up to?’”

(n) Chat term for “your.”

(n phrase) Screen name.

(n) Another name for Cincinnati.

(n) UTG.

(n) Shorthand, particularly in e-mail and Internet postings, for under the gun. Sometimes utg. Also a chat term.

(n phrase) A bet made by a player who is unsure of the precise main benefit of the bet, yet knows the bet has a positive expectation; that is, the bet might cause the player to prosper in any one of several ways. For instance, he might bet knowing his opponent could throw the better hand away; or his opponent could throw away a hand that is not better now but can draw out on him easily; or his opponent might call with the worst of it.