Gaming Terminology in Everyday Life
Language is constantly evolving, even if we don’t like to admit it. As the world changes, we need new words and new expressions to describe new experiences that are created. Modern inventions like cars, electricity, computers, and cell phones have brought not only their new names into our lexicon, but also new terminology associated with their usage. Often these are words borrowed from other languages, like loot (Hindi), wanderlust (German), and safari (Arabic). English itself has been heavily influenced by the ancient language of Latin, with 80% of English words having Latin roots.
Another way in which language evolves is to take words that come from specific situations and apply them in everyday use. Gaming terminology is something which has been cultivated by players for centuries and used to apply to game-specific occurrences. One of the oldest and most influential games to contribute phrases into the English language is poker. And while we might not see terms like ‘having the nuts’ and ‘taking a rake’ making it into common usage anytime soon, there are plenty of sayings which originated around a poker table that have found their way out of the casino and into the streets.
Part of the reason for this everyday uptake in poker phrases is the fact that more people are playing the game. In the 1990s there was a massive uptake in poker online and players needed to be able to talk the talk if they wanted to fit in with the seasoned gamblers.
Poker has a number of specific terms to describe situations the players find themselves in, the ways the cards fall, and whether good decisions were made. As more people learned the vernacular associated with the game, they began to find that these terms described real-life situations very well as well, and so the cross-over of terminology began. Below we look at some of the most commonly used words and phrases which began life at the poker table – how many did you know?
All-In
Possibly the most famous poker term there is, when a poker player is ‘all-in’, it means that they are wagering every last chip on the current bet. This can be done to deter others from calling the hand, ensuring victory, or because they are pretty sure that they have the best hand and want to maximise their winnings. If other players call, then all private hands are turned over, so all the players can see what everyone is holding.
In everyday speech, ‘all-in’ has come to mean someone who is fully committed to an idea or an activity. It’s become associated with passion and dedication, even if the outcome is not a positive one.
Draw a Blank
In poker this phrase is used specifically to mean revealing a card which has no effect on the current state of play. It’s used commonly to refer to a situation where your efforts come to nothing.
Bluff
While the concept of lying is in no way unique to poker, there are no deceitful connotations to the act, and so a new word was needed that didn’t carry negative associations. The idea of the ‘bluff’ is to make your opponent believe that you have a different set of cards to the one you are actually holding. Closer to the idea of pretending – like you’ve forgotten a birthday when actually a surprise party is planned – than any attempts to swindle or commit fraud, it has taken on the same meaning outside of casinos as a gentler way to mislead, often with well-meaning intentions. It is important terminology to know and recognize!
Poker Face
The etymology for this term is clear in the name, unlike the emotion a player is feeling when they have their poker face on. Because poker is as much about reading your opponent’s reactions as it is what cards you are holding, players had to work hard to develop flat expressions that didn’t give away their state of play. The expression made its way into common speech to describe times when people can’t work out what others are thinking, saying instead that they have their ‘poker face’ on.
Busted
The use of the verb ‘to bust’ is common in card games, featuring in blackjack as well as poker, and it always means bad news. In poker, a draw has busted if it didn’t complete – for example, a player on a flush draw not getting the last suited card that they needed. We talk about things ‘going bust’ or having ‘busted’ when ideas or actions don’t work out the way they needed to.
Chip In
Otherwise known as ‘ante up’, the phrase chip in is an instruction to a player that they need to add to the pot, it is a very common piece of terminology. Usually referring to a small amount – a single chip – it has become commonplace to also use it to ask people to contribute to a communal collection, like a leaving present fund, or even to help out with a group effort.
These are just a few examples; there are many more poker terms which have taken on meanings in everyday life. While some of them might be new to you, there are plenty more which you probably wouldn’t even have thought were derived from gambling language. Phrases like ‘ace up your sleeve’ and ‘double dealing’ might seem obvious now, but they are such a part of our normal vocabulary that you’ve probably never had reason to wonder where they began. And that’s the beauty of language – the changes might seem stark at first, but they soon blend seamlessly in with the landscape.
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