L.A. SPEAK : Professional Poker Parlance

advertise: v . setting yourself up to be caught bluffing on a poor hand in order to set up a win on a good hand later.

chip dip: n. adhesive on the palm of the hand. It’s used to steal a chip from the pot as the cheater places a bet or shoves the pot across the table to the winner.

coffee house: n. deceptive chatter.

cosmetics: n. cheater’s markings on the back of a card. “Hey, this queen seems to be wearing cosmetics. “

friend: n. card that improves a hand. “Brandy drew a king, which turned out to be a friend. “

Jackson Five: n. jacks and fives.

mechanic: n. card sharp. “He won every hand he dealt, so I figured he was a mechanic. “

mortal nuts: n. hand that can’t be beaten. “Raising the bet to Amarillo Slim was a mistake; he had mortal nuts. “ Also: Brazilians.

pee-wees: n. low cards. “Don’t go dealing me a bunch of pee-wees unless they’re four of a kind.” Also: Mice and lice.

street: n. a round in stud poker. “We’re on Fifth Street, gentlemen,” means the fifth card is being dealt.

subway tickets: n. cards dealt from the bottom of the deck.