POKER TERMS beginning with "S"

Sandbag: To under bet in the early rounds, hiding your hand's true strength, in order to keep more players in the pot and give it a chance to grow.

Satellite: A mini-tournament held before a larger tournament. Winners of the satellites gain entry to the main tournament.

Scare Card: An up card that appears likely to have made a better hand for someone, theoretically frightening the players.

School: (AKA Poker School). People assembled to play poker, or a group from which players are drawn.

Scoop: To win the whole pot. The term is normally used in High-Low split games like Omaha Hi-Lo.

Scoot: The act of passing chips to another player after winning a pot, normally agreed upon between the participating players prior to the game.

Seat Position: The position of a player relative to the other players at the table (see also Early, Middle, and Late Positions).

See: To call a bet. "I'll see that bet."

Sell: Underbet on a very strong hand to convince more opponents to call or raise.

Semi-Bluff: Like a Bluff, but having at least a small chance of making a winning hand.

Set: Three of a Kind with two In the Hole (term used in Hold Em, Omaha, and Stud poker).

Seven Card Stud: A type of poker dealing seven cards to each player, however only five of the cards are used to make a hand. For more information, see Seven Card Stud Poker Rules.

Sevens Rule: A rule in Lowball poker games that states that a player must bet a 7 or better (no Pair, 7 high). If he doesn't bet, he forfeits further profits from the pot or even the whole pot, depending on the house rules.

Seventh Street: In Seven Card Stud, it is the seventh card dealt to players and the fifth round of betting (AKA The River).

Sharp: An expert poker player.

Shill: A player who is paid by a cardroom to play poker. Unlike Props, Shills do not use their own money to gamble.

Short Call: When a player goes All-In, calling less than the full bet (and therefore creating a side pot).

Short Stack: An amount of chips too small to cover the likely betting in a particular hand.

Short Stud: Five Card Stud Poker.

Shorthanded: A game that falls below a certain number of players at the table.

Showdown: The process of comparing hands when all the betting is done, in order to determine a winner (assuming more than one player is still in the pot). See Rankings of Poker Hands.

Shuffle: To mix up the cards before dealing.

Side Pot: An additional pot generated when a player runs out of chips. The other players contine to bet as normal, placing their money into the Side Pot. A player can only win a pot to which he has contributed chips. Side Pots are generally used when a player goes All-In and other players continue to bet.

Sixth Street: In Seven Card Stud, it is the sixth card dealt to each player and the fourth round of betting (AKA The Turn).

Skin Game: A poker game having two or more cheaters in collusion.

Slowplay: To underbet a very strong hand.

Slowroll: To slowly reveal your winning hand at the end of a round. Considered to be highly annoying by the other players.

Small Blind: A forced bet made by the player to the immediate left of the dealer (in Hold Em games).

Smooth Call: To just call when your hand is strong enough to raise.

Snap Off: To beat a bluffer, and usually not with a strong hand.

Soft: Easy to beat/win.

Spades: One of the four suits of cards (there are 13 Spades in each deck of 52 cards).

Splash (the pot): To throw your chips into the pot, usually disturbing it and making it tough for the dealer to keep track of your bet.

Split Pot: A pot shared by players with equally ranked hands. Also, a pot that is divided between the players with the high and low hands in a Hi-Lo poker game.

Spread Limit: A betting limit with a fixed minimum and maximum bet for each betting round (as opposed to Fixed-Limit or No-Limit games). A player may bet any amount in between these limits.

Squeeze (Bet or Raise): To bet or raise against a player with a strong hand in order to extract more money from a third player with a weaker hand.

Stack: The total amount of your chips. Also can refer to any pile of chips.

Stay: To Call.

Steal: To bet when it appears that no one else has anything (Steal the Pot). Also, to win a pot by Bluffing.

Stonewall: To call (all the way to the end of the round) with a weak hand.

Straddle: A Blind bet double the size of the Big Blind (made before looking at the player's cards).

Straight: Five cards in sequence, but not of the same suit. See Rankings of Poker Hands.

Straight Flush: Any five card sequence of the same suit.

Street: Terminology for the betting intervals in Seven Card Stud and Hold Em poker games (Fifth Street, etc.).

Structure: The official Limits put on the blinds, ante, bets, and raises in a game.

Stuck: Losing.

Stud Poker: A basic form of poker (the other is Draw Poker) in which each player is dealt a number of (non-shared) cards, and in which he can use only those cards to make a poker hand.

Suit: A group of 13 cards in which a deck of 52 cards is divided: Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds.