Poker Terms Explained: Check Blind? Cold Call? Connectors?

The poker world can often be a confusing one, even if you already know how to play poker. You can read as many poker strategy articles and books as you like, but it’s always an intimidating moment when you don’t quite understand the meaning of a certain word or phrase.

There are certainly many eclectic and confusing poker terms that make poker such an exciting game, and PokerNews is here to explain seven of them to you.

What is a Cold Call?

A cold call sometimes occurs in a multiway pot of three or more players. After one player bets and another raises, if a third player were to call they would be calling cold — as they hadn’t acted on the hand yet. This can also happen pre-flop when someone opens and another three-bets, with a third player cold-calling both the bet and the raise.

What are Connectors?

Connectors refer to cards of consecutive ranks e.g.  or . Suited connectors are when the connectors are of the same suit.

What does Check Blind mean?

If a player checks blind, they are checking without looking at their cards. It can also be used to mean when someone out of position checks before the next street is dealt, meaning the action is instantly on their opponent.

What is a Cooler?

No one wants to be on the receiving end of a cooler. While there is no concrete meaning for what is or isn’t a cooler, consensus agrees that it refers to a hand where a strong hand is unfortunate enough to run into an even stronger hand.

The best example of this would be a player moving all in with  only to be called by .

What does Counterfeit mean?

When a player is counterfeit in poker, it doesn’t mean that their cash is dodgy! It just means that their hand has been improved by the board, but worsened overall.

An example would be a player holding  on a board of  giving a player two pair. The river  would improve the player to a better two pair (sixes and aces), but can now be beaten by any player who held a single jack or ace.

What is a Crying Call

A crying call refers to when a player cannot resist calling after the last round of betting, usually when they believe they are behind but can’t resist calling because of curiosity, stubbornness or other reasons.

What is a Cut-Card?

The cut-card is a blank card used to protect the bottom of a deck of cards when the dealer is holding them. The dealer will often separate this from the deck during shuffling, and replace it prior to pitching the first card.