Often, the best way to learn is through direct experience; witnessing a true application of an idea. Let’s teach some idioms starting with their original application, then see what we can derive from that.
Place students in groups of four to seven and have them play poker with one another. Ideally, each group will have at least one person who already knows how to play. Alternately, you can play with one group as you teach the rules while everyone else watches, then switch out players after each round. Betting is important for this, so you should provide each player with a number of chips to start with (note that we do not condone gambling with real money).
You can play whichever variant you prefer, or whichever your students are already familiar with. You may need to teach the rules to some or all of them, and I’ll let you figure that out for yourself, but what we’ll focus on in this article is the terminology. After you’ve played a few rounds and the students have gotten comfortable with it, start explaining whatever terms you haven’t covered already in the rules, and hopefully as situations arise, you’ll have opportunities to demonstrate the terms.
Poker Terminology
Beyond the basics like ‘cards’ and ‘deal’ and specific cards like ‘ace’ and ‘jack’, here are some terms to define for your students:
deal – to pass out the appropriate number of cards to the players
hand – the cards a player currently possesses and controls
hole – the collection of cards in one’s hand that are not revealed to the rest of the players (in some variations, certain cards in your hand are revealed)
fold – give up for that round
bet – to submit money in the hopes of gaining more money if you win the round; if you lose the round, you also lose the money you bet
check – to bet nothing
raise – to bet more than the person before you bet
call – to bet as much as the person before you bet
pot – the total money collected from every players’ bets during the round
stakes – the initial amount that each player must bet in order to participate in a round
bluff – a large amount of money bet when the cards in the better’s hand are very likely not good enough to win
It’s also good to teach the plays one can make, such as a ‘full house’ or a ‘flush’, and there may be other terms you’d like to share with them. You can find more definitions elsewhere if you need to, but we simply wanted to cover the terms that would be relevant for our idioms.
Poker Expressions
When you’re finished playing, take some time to cover some common expressions. For each expression or group of expressions, talk about the literal meaning within a game of poker. Then ask your students what that same sentiment would mean outside of the poker context (you may want to have some example situations ready). Students should be able to see how the idea is the same in other applications, even if it isn’t literal anymore.
ADVANTAGES
have an ace in the hole – have an advantage that others don’t know about
have an ace up one’s sleeve – have an advantage that others don’t know about, except that this one is illegitimate
hold all the aces – have all the advantages
BAD SITUATIONS
dealt a bad hand – be placed in a bad situation through no fault of one’s own
play the hand you’re dealt – do the best you can with whatever situation or resources are available to you, even if they aren’t very good
know when to fold – accept that things are not going well for you and remove yourself from a situation before things get even worse; similar to ‘cut your losses’
EXECUTION
know when to hold ‘em – (instead of taking the next available opportunity,) waiting for the right moment to make your move to maximize your chance of success or maximize the rewards
play your cards right – out of various opportunities, act on the one(s) that will end in the best outcome
overplay your hand – act as if you are in a better situation or have more of an advantage than is true; often, you’re in a good position, but acting in overconfidence might lead you to lose a lot instead of gaining a little
EXPOSURE
put your cards on the table – reveal to everyone (purposefully) what your situation is (what resources, advantages, and disadvantages you have)
show your hand – reveal to someone (or everyone) the details of your situation; this could be intentional, but is often accidental
play (it) close to the chest – be careful not to reveal the details of your situation to anyone; keep you secrets
DECEPTION
poker face – a way in which you compose yourself so that no one can tell what you’re truly thinking
call one’s bluff – to take a chance on the belief that your opponent has risked too much and is less likely to benefit from taking that same chance; commonly, this expression can mean more simply to accuse someone of being deceitful
ENTICEMENT
raise the stakes – to make the baseline cost of taking a risk greater, often done to encourage those involved to put forth greater effort in order to win
sweeten the pot – to increase the potential for gain, again to encourage others to invest more themselves
UNKNOWNS
all bets are off – when a situation reaches a point of great uncertainty
wild card – any type of factor that is unknown to others, or sometimes to everyone; often, the wild card has a significant impact on the outcome
