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Poker – Terminologies
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Poker is a fun activity among your friends. Poker is
also something a person can do in a casino without friends. I will cover all
the things you need to say to be effective with your English at the poker
table.
There are many different poker games. I will not cover the different types of
poker games, but feel free to learn about them through poker books or other
poker web sites. For this lesson, I will use Texas Hold 'em as the example game
because of its popularity.
First, let's look at some terminologies:
No Pair - A hand without anything.
One Pair - Having two of the same card
Two Pair - Having two sets of pair
Three of a kind - Having three of the same card
Straight - Having five number or face cards in a row
Flush - Having all 5 cards with the same suit
Full house (another name is 'boat') - Three of a kind and a pair together
Four of a kind - Four of the same card
Straight flush - Five number or face cards in a row all in the same suit
Royal flush - 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace all in the same suit
Wheel - A straight consisting of Ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Betting
Check - When it is your turn and you don't want to bet anything
Call - When someone in front of you bets and you want to match to stay in the
game. Other terminology for call is 'see.'
Fold - Dying or forfeiting your hand because you don't want to pay anymore.
Other terminologies for this are, mucking your hand, dying, and out.
I
fold."
He
mucked his hand."
I'm
out."
Raise - When someone in front of you bets and you want to put in more money.
I
see (call) your ten, and I raise you another ten."
Poker - Texas Hold 'em Instructions
Texas Hold 'em is the most popular poker game in
America. Here is a brief explanation on how to play Texas Hold 'em.
1. Everyone is given two cards
2. Betting takes place
3. Dealer burns (throws away) a card and then places three cards in the middle.
Everyone can use the cards in the middle.
4. Betting takes place
5. Dealer burns another card and shows one more card
6. Betting takes place
7. Dealer burns another card and shows one last card
8. Final betting and then everyone shows their hand.
You have 2 cards in your hand and a total of 5 cards in the middle. Out of the
seven cards, you can use any 5 cards to make your poker hand.
In step 3 above, the first three cards that are turned over is called the
'flop.'
In step 5, the single card that is shown is called the 'turn.'
In step 7, the final card that is shown is called the 'river.'
This is all the explanation I will give. Don't rely on this to learn the game.
I am only telling you this information so you can understand the lesson.
Poker - Talking with Friends
Talking with friends
Let's
play poker."
When do
you guys want to play poker?"
I'm
going to have people over at my place to play poker. Do you want to come?"
We're
playing poker at Tim's place tonight."
Are
you any good at poker?"
Have
you played poker before?"
Do
you know how to play poker?"
It's
boring when people play so conservatively."
It
takes too much time to play if people keep folding like this."
Talking about poker
I
had three Kings on the flop but I couldn't fill up. I got beat with a flush
that showed up on the river."
I
went 'all in' with a pair of aces before the flop. I lost to a guy who called
with a pair of fours. Another four came out and I was out of the game."
I
can't believe he got so lucky."
Jerry
is so lucky. He always gets the cards he needs."
I
shouldn't have called."
I
shouldn't have folded. I would have won."
Where's
the courtesy show." - This statement is commonly used
when somebody wins because everyone else folded. Then the other people will ask
to see the cards. Most of the time, the player will not show his hand. So a
courtesy show is showing your hand when you don't have to.
He
bought the pot." - When somebody wins because
nobody called. They say he bought the pot because he bet very high and nobody
wanted to risk it. So his high bid bought the pot.
I
knew I won because I got a full house on the 'turn'."
I
would have won this hand too. I am such a chicken."
What
did you have?"
I
can't believe I lost with a straight. The damn flush showed up on the river."
I
had two aces and he had two kings. The last card was a king so he won."
Would
you go all in with a pair of fours before the flop?"
Would
you rather have a pair of fives or an Ace King suited."
You're
so easy to read. You give your hand away every time."
Poker - Interactive Practice
Click on Listen
All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation,
become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B
through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to repeat the sentences
of Person A. Do the same for Person B. The speed of the conversation is native
speed. Use the pause button if the pause between each sentence is too fast for
you. After practicing several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a
native.
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Person A |
Person B
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A: "Hey
Jack. What did you do last weekend?"
B: "Josh had a bunch of guys over at his house and we played
poker."
A: "Why didn't you guys call me?"
B: "We did. But you weren't home. If you had a cell phone, maybe you
wouldn't be left out."
A: "Yeah. I need to get a cell phone. So, what games did you play?"
B: "We only play Texas Hold µem."
A: "That's all good. What was the bid amount?"
B: "We started playing no limit. It's so much fun."
A: "That sounds awesome. Let me join you next time."
B: "No problem. Just get a cell phone so we can contact you."
A: "Aright. Who won though?"
B: "John. He always wins. He's damn good."
A: "You only played one game?"
B: "We played 2 games and he won both of them."
A: "What is the buy in?"
B: "Only 10 bucks."
A: "That sounds fun. Ten bucks isn't that much money to have fun while
chilling with your friends."
B: "Exactly."
A: "But what happens if you get out in the first ten minutes?"
B: "Then you're screwed. You can watch tv or play the XBOX."
A: "Better not die soon then. So, when is the next time you guys are
playing?"
B: "Probably this Friday. Give me a call Friday morning and I'll let you
know the exact time."
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Person A |
Person B
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A:
"How long did you stay at Tim's playing poker last night?"
B: "I stayed for a couple more hours after you left."
A: "So you guys ended up playing one more game?"
B: "Yeah."
A: "How did you do on the second game?"
B: "I was third. I had a pair of Kings and went all in. Albert had an
Ace Queen and called me. When the cards came out, he ended up with a pair of
aces and I lost."
A: "I hate when that happens. So did Albert end up winning?"
B: "No. He lost to Jerry. Anyway on the last game, it was me and Andrew.
I had Ace King suited. On the flop, it was Ace, King, and Queen. Andrew went
all in and I called. The next card was a King and I had a full house. It was
nearly impossible for me to lose. Except another Queen came out and he had
four of a kind. Can you believe that? I had a full house and I lost."
A: "That sucks. He's so lucky. I can't believe he got four of a
kind."
B: "That's poker I guess."
A: "I hear they are going to play again this Saturday? Are you going to
play?"
B: "Hell yeah. Do you know what time they're playing?"
A: "I think they want to start a little earlier because it takes a long
time to play. Probably around 7:00."
B: "I get off at 6:30 so it's going to be tight. I'll come as soon as
possible."
A: "Aright. See you later." | |