The cloth covering of a poker table, whatever the actual material. Metaphorically, the table itself: Doyle and I have played across the felt.
U
| pay off | To call a bet when you are most likely drawing dead because the pot odds justify the call. | U |
| vig, vigorish | The rake. See vigorish. | U |
| rakeback | Rebate/repayment to a player of a portion of the rake paid by that player, normally from a non-cardroom, third-party source such as an affiliate. Rakeback is paid in many ways by online poker rooms, affiliates or brick and mortar rooms. Many use direct money payments for online poker play. Brick and Mortar rooms usually use rate cards to track and pay their rakeback. | U |
| M-ratio | See M-ratio. | U |
| lead | The player who makes the last bet or raise in a round of betting is said to have the lead at the start of the next round. Can also be used as a verb meaning to bet out into the pot, "to lead into the pot." | U |
| wake up | To "wake up with a hand" means to discover a strong starting hand, often when there has already been action in front of the player. | U |
| dry ace | In Omaha hold 'em or Texas hold 'em, refers to an ace in one's hand without another card of the same suit. Used especially to describe the situation where the board presents a flush possibility, when the player does not in fact have a flush, but holding the ace presents some bluffing or semi-bluffing opportunity. Compare to "blocker". | U |
| shill | See shill. Compare to "proposition player". | U |
| sevens rule | A rule in many A-5 lowball games that requires a player with a seven-low or better after the draw to bet, rather than check or check-raise. In some venues a violator loses any future interest in the pot; in others he forfeits his interest entirely. | U |
| check-raise | See check-raise. | U |