S

Sandbagging v.  See slow playing.

Satellite n.  A mini-tournament whose prize is entry into a larger, more expensive tournament.  Entry fee for the World Series of Poker is $10,000, but there are satellites for $250.

Scare card np.  A board card likely to give someone a strong hand.  I missed my straight, but a flush scare card fell on the river, so I bluffed.

Scared money np.  A player too afraid of losing to exploit good hands is playing with scared money.

Scoop v. Winning both pots in a high-low game.

Second nut n.  The next highest hand possible for a given board.  See nuts.

Second pair n.  Pairing the second highest card on the board.

See v.  Call. I see your $10 and raise you $20.

Semi-bluff n., v.  Bluffing with a drawing hand, or possibly an under pair.  It is an attempt to scare rivals into folding, but if they stay, you have a good chance of completing your hand.  Contrast stone cold bluff.  Tight limit hold'em players rarely bluff outright, usually they have a reasonable draw.

Session n.  Common unit in poker record keeping.  Results from one session (such as an evening's play), are recorded.  Hours are also often used.

Set np.  Three of a kind, especially when composed of a pair in the hole with a third card on the board.

Short handed adj.  A game with considerably fewer than the usual nine or ten players.  Significant strategic adaptation is advised.  Contrast one-on-one.

Short stacked adj.  Having little money left, as seen by the puny stack of chips in front of you.  A big disadvantage, especially in tournaments.

Side game n.  Played in the vicinity of a tournament.  They are usually ring games composed of busted out tournament players, or simply those attracted to the crowds and opportunity.

Side pot n. A separate pot created to keep track of who wins what in complicated all-in situations. When a short-stacked player shoves in all his remaining chips, everyone else can continue betting into a side pot. The all-in player can win only the main pot, (which contains his entire stack, plus a matching amount from everyone else). The non-all-in players have a chance to win either or both pots. It is possible to have multiple side pots. 

Sit-n-go n.  A fast, single table elimination tournament on the internet.  As soon as enough people sit, it goes.  Players receive around $1,000 in chips. Play continues until all but one are eliminated.  The first three places get paid.  Entry fees range from $5.50 (or even less) to $110 or more.  In a $110 game, $100 goes into the prize pool, $10 is raked by the house.

Slow playing vp.  A strong hand pretending to be weak in order to lure opponents.  Slow players check and call, rather than bet and raise. Aka sandbagging.

Slow roll n.  Dilatory showing of a hand, either for suspense or annoyance.

Small bet np.  In limit hold'em, the small bet is the amount set for the early betting rounds (preflop and flop).  The amount doubles (becoming the big bet) in the later rounds.  In a 3/6 limit game, the small bet is $3, big bet is $6.  The number of bets in a pot is often used to calculate pot odds.  "There were only four small bets in the pot, so I folded." 

Small blind n.  A type of ante paid by the first person to the left of the dealer.  The small blind is typically 1/2 the amount of the first round bet.  The small blind can either fold, or call by putting in another half bet (unless there's been some raising going on).  See blinds and complete.

Smooth call v.  To call, not raise, especially when sandbagging, or when preceded by aggressive betting.  There was a raise and a reraise, but Tami smooth called them both.

Snap off v.  Beating another hand, especially a bluff.  I snapped off another one of her bluffs. 

Spike v.  To receive a card you need, especially a less-likely one.  Carmella had just a low pocket pair, but she spiked another four on the turn to make trips.  Also catch.

Splash the pot v.  Sloppily tossing chips on the table so they roll haphazardly.  Besides being rude, it can obscure whether the proper amount was paid.  An early tip off of a newbie.

Split pair np. A pair composed of one card from your hand, and another from the board.  Example: hand 78 the board: 8T3.  Contrast a pocket pair or a paired board.

Spread v.  Providing a poker game, usually at a cardroom.  They only spread hold'em here, no stud. 

Spread limit adj.  Type of game where bets must be within a range, rather than fixed limit.  Bets can be anywhere between a minimum and maximum.

Stack n.  1. All of a player's chips.  I bet my stack.  2. Group of chips neatly placed on top of one another.  Generally, stacks must stay on the table in front of a person, allowing others to see how much they have.  See table stakes.

Stake  1. n. See bankroll.  2. v. To loan a player money in return for a share of the winnings.  I staked him to enter the World Series of Poker.

Stakes adj.  The bet level of a game, either generic ("high stakes"), or specific ("3/6"). 

Stand up v.  For a pat hand to still win after all the cards are out.  Maggie had aces, but they didn't stand up.

Standard deviation n.  Statistical measure of how much something (like poker winnings) varies randomly over time.  See variance.  Commonly abbreviated SD. 

Steal v.  See buy the pot.

Steal the blinds v.  Betting aggressively to fold the blinds before the flop.  Generally done from late position, with everyone else presumably already out.  Its profitability is often underestimated.  

Steam v.  1. Trying to win back losses with bigger, rasher, bets.  2. Emotional agitation after a loss which hurts play.  Is he still steaming?

Stone cold bluff n.  A risky bluff with nothing at all.  More often, bluffers have at least something, or a draw that they represent as stronger than it is.

Stop-n-go n.  Using two separate bets to go all-in.  When running low on chips in a tournament, you bet half your stack preflop, then put in the rest no matter what.  Although an opponent may be sure to call a preflop all-in because you are short-stacked and she is deep, she still might fold later if the flop misses her.

Straight n.  A completed poker hand of five cards in sequence, such as T-J-Q-K-A.  The ace can also make a five-high straight, known as a wheel.  Beats three of kind, but not a flush.  See hand rankings.

Straight draw n.  A hand with the potential of becoming a straight.  Ex. 9-10-J-Q can become a straight if the right card comes.  See also inside straight, open ended straight.

Straight flush n.  A straight of one suit.  Royal flush, the strongest poker hand, is an ace-high straight flush.  See hand rankings.

Street n.  The dealing of a card and its round of betting.  The turn and river in hold'em are sometimes called fourth and fifth streets.  Derived from stud poker terminology.

String bet n.  Making two trips to put chips in the center.  Illegal because a player might call first, then gauge the reaction of others before deciding to reach in again with a raise.  Bets or raises should be a single motion.  Enforcement is inconsistent, but usually if a player verbally declares a raise, she is given some slack in shoveling an unwieldy number of chips into the center.

Suck out v.  Winning with a bad hand that gets lucky.  Sidney started with just 7-2, but sucked out and beat two aces.  Those who regularly suck out are ridiculed by mediocre players, and praised by the cagey.

Suited adj.  1. Cards of the same suit, such as king-nine of clubs.  Suited hole cards are valuable because they are more likely to form a flush with the board.  2. A high card with a suited card of unimportant rank.  She held a suited king.

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