GLOSSARIES
CLIMBING TERMS
anchor: A point of attachment for a climbing rope.
belt line: The belt placed at the waistline.
beta: Information about a climb.
bouldering: Free climbing without ropes or harnesses on boulders or relatively small rock faces.
chalk: Soft limestone used to keep a climber’s hands dry.
chalk bag: A small pouch that holds a climber’s chalk.
climber: Someone who participates in climbing.
climbing: Movement on rock, snow, ice or a mix.
crash pad: A small foam pad used for protection and safety. Also called a bouldering mat.
crimp: A technique of gripping small edges with fingertips flat on the surface while fingers arch above their tips.
crux: The most difficult position of a climb.
downclimb: Descending by climbing downward.
flag: When a leg is held in a position to maintain balance rather than to support weight.
heel hook: Using the back of the heel to hold for balance or leverage.
highball: A tall and potentially dangerous boulder problem.
hiking: A walk or trek through the wilderness on a path.
hold: A place to temporarily grip, hold, stand or otherwise stabilize during the process of climbing.
jug: Short for jug hold, which is a large, easily held place to grip or otherwise hold.
overhang: A section of rock that is angled beyond vertical.
project: A bouldering problem that is repeatedly attempted over time, but has not been successfully completed.
rope climbing: Use of rope while climbing.
spotter: The person who stands below the climber ready to absorb the energy of a potential fall.
VB: V-scale for beginner bouldering problems.
V-scale: Grading scale that defines difficulty starting from a V0 (v-zero) to a V17.
POKER TERMS
all in: Pushing all of your chips into the middle of the table to bet on your current hand.
ante: A forced bet that must be made by all players at the table prior to cards being dealt.
bet: A wager during the play of a hand.
big blind: The larger of the two forced blind bets. This is the first full bet in a hand of Texas Hold’em.
blinds: Forced bets players make before the cards are dealt in a new hand. They are called blinds because the player places a bet without seeing the cards first.
bluff: Playing and betting when you know you have a weaker hand than another player, with the intention of getting them to fold.
burn card: A card removed from the deal to prevent cheating.
bust: When a player loses all their chips; an uncompleted hand.
buy-in: The cost to enter a tournament, or the minimum amount needed to join a game.
call: Matching or raising another player’s bet.
check: Choosing not to bet and to pass the action to the next player if there is no bet to you.
chips: Small discs that are used in poker to represent cash.
dealer: The person dealing the cards.
draw: Taking a card from the deck or dealer.
flop: The first three community cards that are dealt on the table.
flush: A hand with five cards all of the same suit.
fold: Discarding a hand and ending your participation and ability to win the pot. Also called laydown.
four of a kind: Four of the same ranked cards.
full house: A five-card hand consisting of three of a kind and a pair.
hand: Five cards, the player’s pocket (hole) cards and the community cards.
hole cards: The two cards each player holds facedown, also known as pocket cards.
odds: The chance of a particular outcome, represented by a ratio in most cases.
pair: Two cards of the same rank.
pot: The place in the middle of the table that is made up of chips that have been bet.
push: To go all in. Bet all in.
raise: Betting more in addition to another player’s bet.
river: The final card dealt in a poker hand, to be followed by a final round of betting. The river is the fifth and last card to be dealt to the community card board, after the flop and turn.
royal flush: The best possible hand in poker, a straight from ten to ace, all of the same suit. “Royal” because it includes all the face cards.
straight: Five cards in sequence but not in the same suit.
straight flush: A straight that is also all of the same suit.
tell: A detectable change in a player’s behavior or demeanor that gives clues to that player’s assessment of their hand.
three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank.
top kicker: The best possible side card in a given hand. A card that doesn’t add to the rank of a hand but can be used in a tie with the highest card, helping determine the winner.
top pair: The best two possible pairs based on the community cards and what a player holds.