Photo by Thomas Broening
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We All Speak 'Poker'
By Richard Lederer, July & August 2005
Ten everyday phrases born at the poker table
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Blue-chip stock
Poker chips used to be white, red, and blue. The blue ones were the most
valuable.
In the hole
Some poker tables have a slot, or "hole," through which cash is
deposited to the house. To be in the hole means to be short of funds.
Stacks up
We use this term to compare the value and power of two things. It refers to the
pile of chips sitting before each player. The higher the stack, the more
powerful the player.
Pass the buck
The buck was originally a marker placed in front of the player who'd deal
the next hand. In the 19th century, it was often a hunting knife with a handle
made from a buck's horn. This defined the game as Buckhorn or Buck Poker
and gave us the expression pass the buck. In the Old West, silver
dollars often replaced buckhorn knives as tokens, and these coins took on the
slang name buck.
Penny ante
Ante derives from the Latin word for before and refers to the
chips placed in the middle of the table before betting begins. A penny-ante
game is for players who can't risk high stakes.
Bottom dollar
This refers to betting markers. Betting one's bottom dollar means wagering
the entire stack. The top dollar, or chip, is the one that sits atop the
highest stack.
Stand pat
This comes from the strategy of keeping one's original (pat) hand in draw
poker rather than making an exchange.
In hock
In the game of faro, a cousin of poker, the last card in the box was known as
the hocketty card. The player who bet this card was said to be in hock—at
a disadvantage that could cost him his shirt.
Jackpot
A jackpot was the reward for the big winner in a game of progressive poker, in
which you need a pair of jacks or better to begin the betting. The stakes grow
until the requisite pair is dealt.
Cashing in one's chips
A euphemism for, well, you know.
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