New to the game and confused by the words scrolling by in those online chat logs? Fight back by learning some of the important terms you can throw around:

A

A-B-C, A-B-C-D

A sequence of the lowest cards in a lowball game. For example, the hand 8-6-3-2-A might be called an eight-six-a-b-c.

Uncreative or predictable play. He's an a-b-c player.

ace-to-five, ace-to-six

Methods of evaluating low hands. See ace-to-five low, ace-to-six low.

act

To make a play (bet, call, raise, or fold) at the required time. It is Ted's turn to act. Compare to "in turn".

The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the game likely descended from the French poque, which descended from the German pochen ('to knock'; also means 'to brag' in Dutch). Yet it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the Persian game of as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time). It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.