Understanding Common Poker Card Idioms

By Mike J. Davies Editor in Chief at Casinos.US Updated: 07/12/2023

Mike J. Davies Editor in Chief at Casinos.US See Full Bio

Mike is our Senior Editor and experienced gambling strategist. A former hockey player, he transitioned to the casino industry after finishing his B.A. in English. Blackjack systems, online casino guides, gambling terms, and more – Mike is familiar with all fine points of gambling.

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The Most Common Poker Card Idioms

• Poker Idioms: What They Mean
• Poker Phrases: An Introduction and History
• Poker Face
• Trump Card
• Pass the Buck
• Chip In
• Call Someone’s Bluff
• Above Board
• House of Cards
• Frequently Asked Questions

Poker idioms are everywhere, and in today’s blog, we’re going to delve into the rich linguistic culture surrounding the game of poker and look at how poker-inspired phrases entered the modern English language. We’ll show you some of the most common poker phrases you’ll come across in real life, look at where these phrases originated, and how they’ve impacted the English language as a whole.

Poker Idioms: What They Mean

Card idioms are phrases that originally came from the poker table that have found their way into everyday language. These phrases carry metaphorical meanings, and they can represent different aspects of life, from emotional control to surprises, and even assigning blame to someone.

Today, we’re going to look at some of the most common poker idioms you’re likely to come across, all of which were born at the poker table. Regardless of whether you play Razz poker online in the US or any other game, this article will be quite helpful, so make sure to keep reading.

Poker Phrases: An Introduction and History

Poker is a game that’s well-known for its strategy, deception, and high-stakes decision-making. As a result, it’s managed to generate a number of rich linguistic phrases. The idioms born out of this game have spread to all corners of the globe, highlighting the impact the game has had.

The roots of poker phrases date back to the origins of poker itself, a game that was first played primarily in the US during the 19th century. The game’s popularity during the American Wild West era played a significant role in cementing these phrases into day-to-day language, and as poker spread across the country, so did the poker terms and phrases we’ll look at today.

With the popularization of televised poker in the late 20th century and the explosion of online poker in the 21st, these phrases gained even more traction. Today, they’re recognized and used globally, illustrating poker’s enduring influence on the language.

Whether you’re upping the ante, holding all the cards or going all in, you’re participating in a linguistic tradition that began at the poker table. These are some of the best-known poker idioms, so we’re not going to look at any of these today. Instead, we’ll look at ones you may not even know stemmed from the poker table!

Poker Face

The term ‘poker face’ is rooted deeply in the game of poker, and it’s become a widely used idiom in popular culture. At a poker table, maintaining a blank, unreadable face is a key strategy as it avoids your opponents being able to pick up any tells – signs on whether your hand is strong or weak. As a result, the term poker face was born, and in the early 19th century, it was first introduced into the English language outside of the poker world.

By the early 20th century, the term had started to enter into everyday language, describing anyone who could mask their true feelings or intentions effectively. The phrase became even more popular after Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song “Poker Face,” which talked about people with an ability to “mask” or “hide” their true emotions.

Trump Card

The idiom ‘trump card’ has its roots in card games, and it’s not just poker that helped create this popular phrase, as bridge and euchre also used the term. In these games, a particular suit is designated as the ‘trump’ suit, and cards from this suit will beat all others, regardless of their face value.

This idiom became part of the English language in the early 19th century, and it was first used to describe a decisive or advantageous resource, action, or person that can be used to gain an upper hand in a situation. It basically means someone that has an edge over everyone else – which is why you’ll hear people say they’ve “pulled out their trump card” as a way of signifying they’ve used their strongest argument or resource.

Pass the Buck

The phrase ‘pass the buck’ is steeped in poker history. In the Wild West era of American poker, a marker or counter, often a knife with a buckhorn handle, was used to show the player who was responsible for dealing a hand. After each hand, the buck would be passed to another player to deal.

This idiom entered popular language in the mid-19th century, taking on a metaphorical sense. ‘Passing the buck’ now refers to the act of shifting responsibility onto someone else or avoiding accountability. It became popular in the political sphere, where politicians often shift blame on failing policies onto other leaders or parties to avoid accountability.

In fact, this is one of the most famous playing card sayings, as even President Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk that read “The buck stops here,” showing the world he accepted ultimate responsibility and wouldn’t pass the buck.

Chip In

‘Chip in’ is an idiom originating from the world of poker and other gambling games where chips are used as currency. During a game, players ‘chip in’ to build the pot that will eventually be distributed to the winner(s).

It was around the late 19th century when ‘chip in’ started to be used in modern-day language, and now, it refers to the act of contributing to a pooled effort, usually with money. However, it can sometimes be used to refer to time, resources, or effort as well. When ‘Chip In’ is used, it almost always implies that it will be accompanied with similar amounts by others.

For example, you’ll often hear people saying “come on, chip in” at a bar when someone is buying all the drinks. Collective fundraising events may also use the term, and it’s quite common to hear in day-to-day life around the world.

Call Someone’s Bluff

“Call someone’s bluff” is a phrase directly taken from the gameplay you’ll see at a poker game. A bluff is a common poker strategy where a player with a weak hand pretends to have a strong one to try and trick their opponents into folding. When an opponent ‘calls the bluff’, they are basically saying “I don’t believe you”, forcing the bluffer to turn their cards over and lose face, or throw them into the muck, indirectly telling everyone they were bluffing.

Today, to ‘call someone’s bluff’ in everyday conversation means to challenge or confront someone on a falsehood, exaggeration, or empty threat. It’s often used in business or political contexts, representing the act of calling out dishonesty or deceit. It can also be heard during arguments; for example, if a partner threatens to leave, the other partner may “call their bluff”, believing them to be lying about actually leaving.

Above Board

The term “above board” has its roots not just in poker but also in 17th-century card games. It was a simple rule that dictated that all cards involved in the game needed to be kept above the table, so everyone could always see them and ensure no cheating was going on.

Today, “above board” is used all around the world, and it means something is legitimate, transparent, legal, and honest, without any suspicions of fraudulent activity. You’ll often hear “above board” used in business settings, especially when making deals.

House of Cards

“House of cards” is a phrase that, interestingly, doesn’t stem from the card game itself but from the physical act of stacking cards to build a structure. This type of structure is very unstable and can fall with the smallest disturbance.

This term started to be used metaphorically in the 17th century, and a ‘house of cards’ now refers to a structure or plan that is insubstantial, shaky, or in constant danger of collapse. It is often used to describe tense political situations, fragile economies, or any system built on an unstable foundation. The phrase was popularized further by the 2013 Netflix series “House of Cards,” which depicts the precarious and manipulative world of politics.

That’s just a few of the most popular poker idioms you’ll find. Below, we’ve created a short table with a few other common poker phrases you’ll probably recognize: