1. The game played at the highest available stakes at a particular venue. 2. A description of the quality of a player's performance when he is playing at the top of his ability.
Usage: Like in sentence "He is playing his A-game." Opposite to Z-Game.

A player who follows a predictable and readable betting pattern.
Usage: Like in sentence "He was an ABC player."

An obsolete term for the player immediately to the left of the dealer, in games that use forced bets or blinds.

A phrase used to emphasise the proper rules of a game. Hoyle was a past authority on the game of whist and his name is used in the title of many books of rules for cards games. Usage: With strict adherence to a set of rules; fairly and honorably: "We don't want to lose this case over any legal technicalities; everything must be done strictly according to Hoyle." Hoyle was the author of a book on the game of whist in the eighteenth century; his name has since been used in the titles of many books of rules for card games.

The highest or lowest valued card in the deck depending on the rules of the poker game being played. In a high card game, it ranks higher than the King, except when it is deemed the lowest card in a 5-high straight 5-4-3-2-A. In a low card game, it ranks below the 2.

This is what a player has when one of his cards that are dealt to him face down (the hole cards) is an Ace.

A verb meaning to win with an Ace-High hand (either by value or by bluff) Usage: This phrase passed into general usage with the meaning of winning by deception or just barely beating someone. (If your opponent holds a totally worthless hand, an ace-high hand would just barely beat him; that is, you would ace him out.)

A term applied to a low hand game where the lowest hand is 5-4-3-2-A, and where flushes and straights do not have any value. The best possible hand in an ace to five game is therefore A2345 (often called a wheel).

A phrase coined to describe an Ace card that is withdrawn from the deck by a cheat using sleight of hand (possibly into adjacent clothing) to be re-introduced later at a favourable moment for the cheater. Usage: Describing the situation in which a cheater has withdrawn an ace from the deck to be introduced into the game later, or, more generally, has taken some unfair advantage. The phrase passed into general usage to describe the situation in which someone is hiding some probably unfair advantage.

An ace in a hand.

A five-card hand with an ace but no pair; if nobody has at least a pair, it's the winning hand (similarly "King-high", "Queen-high etc.).
Usage: Like in sentence "I have an ace high; can you beat that?" "Yes, I got a pair of deuces."

In a game played for low, ace to five means straights and flushes don't count and the ace can be used as a low card. The best possible hand in an ace to five game is therefore A2345 (often called a wheel).

A form of high draw poker, in which a player cannot open the pot without holding at least two aces as openers.

A five-card hand consisting of two aces and three other worthless cards. Usage: As in sentence "In Omaha, a hand with a pair of Aces without a good low, a good high, or good flush draws is another Aces and Spaces hand."

A full house with three aces and any pair. Usage: As in sentence "The person with the pair of 5s would win since he has Aces full of fives and the other person has only Aces full of 4s".