10 Poker Expressions that need to be retired Part 1
If you’ve been around the poker world for any period of time you know that the game has its own language. A new player walking into a poker room and sitting down at a table will likely think they are in a foreign country as the other players communicate using a minimal number words, many of which bastardized to the point that they are no longer actual words, or acronyms. This feeling of not belonging is even worse if you are visitor to an online poker forum! In this column I’m going to take a look at a few of these terms that are so played out that they need to be retired from the game.
My advice is this; if you find yourself getting ready to utter these words or terms, STOP, stop now, and just talk normally. Here is a look at the first five entries on my list:
-aments
If you add the suffix –aments to words in an effort to disparage whatever it is you are playing please stop. This was funny when Barry Greenstein first used it to describe online tournaments (Donkaments) but it’s gotten out of hand and it’s now just another tired poker expression. Even worse is when people add an LOL prior to their –aments, which is simply overkill.
So Sick
This one drives me as nuts as all of the FML’s on Facebook because people hit traffic or Dunkin Donuts screwed up their coffee order. Oh you poor thing, you lost to a flush draw in a $5 online tournament, or you ran Pocket Kings into Aces playing $1/$2 No Limit at the casino. It’s not “So Sick” its normal; it happens every day, so deal with it.
One Time
Really, just ONE time? That’s all you’re asking for? You only want to win when you’re behind a single time? Has anyone who has ever said “one time” only ever uttered this phrase ONE TIME?
I put you on…
Realize that every time you say “I put you on xx” you are basically saying I can’t read hands. The only time people use this expression is when their opponent outplays them and they think by having a specific read they won’t look as dumb to the other players in the game who all knew the guy had the stone-cold-nuts.
Tilting/Tilted
Tilt is a perfectly fine term, but it’s not alright to self-apply, and it’s really not alright to use it to describe non-poker events. Getting a flat tire is not “tilting”; the daily tournaments in the casino don’t “tilt you”; you go on tilt and that’s it! If you say, “That’s so tilting” you’re not on tilt because people who are on tilt don’t have rational thoughts like “I’m on tilt.” God this term is so tilting to me…
