poker

(as) stiff as a poker

Very straight, rigid, or inflexible. Used to describe someone's physical posture or demeanor. The whole class sat in their chairs as stiff as pokers during the principal's lecture. He stood as stiff as a poker after his name was called, too nervous to move.See also: poker, stiff

have a poker up (one's) butt

1. vulgar slang To be very stiff, rigid, or inflexible in one's posture or demeanor. The guy trundled around the stage so gracelessly and awkwardly, as if he had a poker up his butt. You'd think she has a poker up her butt from the way she sits in class.2. vulgar slang To be very rigid or inflexible in one's opinions or beliefs. My grandfather had a real poker up his butt when it came to people living together or having children before marriage.3. vulgar slang To be irritable, unfriendly, or humorless. Geez, it was just a joke—you must have a poker up your butt or something. I wouldn't mess around with Mr. Daniels, he's got a poker up his butt today.See also: butt, have, poker, up

have a poker up (one's) ass

1. vulgar slang To be very stiff, rigid, or inflexible in one's posture or demeanor. The guy trundled around the stage so gracelessly and awkwardly, as if he had a poker up his ass. You'd think she has a poker up her ass from the way she sits in class.2. vulgar slang To be very rigid or inflexible in one's opinions or beliefs. My grandfather had a real poker up his ass when it came to people living together or having children before marriage.3. vulgar slang To be irritable, unfriendly, or humorless. Geez, it was just a joke—you must have a poker up your ass or something. I wouldn't mess around with Mr. Daniels, he's got a poker up his ass today.See also: ass, have, poker, up

have a poker up (one's) arse

1. vulgar slang To be very stiff, rigid, or inflexible in one's posture or demeanor. Primarily heard in UK. The guy trundled around the stage so gracelessly and awkwardly, as if he had a poker up his arse. You'd think she has a poker up her arse from the way she sits in class.2. vulgar slang To be very rigid or inflexible in one's opinions or beliefs. Primarily heard in UK. My grandfather had a real poker up his arse when it came to people living together or having children before marriage.3. vulgar slang To be irritable, unfriendly, or humorless. Primarily heard in UK. Geez, it was just a joke—you must have a poker up your arse or something. I wouldn't mess around with Mr. Daniels, he's got a poker up his arse today.See also: arse, have, poker, up

poker face

A blank, emotionless expression that gives no indication of one's thoughts or intentions. Poker players use such an expression so as not to give their opponents any clues about which cards they are holding. I kept looking over to see if she was impressed, but she wore a poker face throughout the performance. Now, make sure you keep your poker face on for these negotiations—we can't let them know where we stand.See also: face, poker

have a corncob up one's ass

and have a poker up one's ass 1. Inf. to be very stiff. (Use with caution.) How come you're acting so high-and-mighty with me? Do you have a corncob up your ass? He was a terrible actor, stiff and wooden. He looked like he had a poker up his ass. 2. Inf. to be very touchy or irritable. Wow! Old Mr. Webster really has a corncob up his ass this morning. Watch out! Tom has a poker up his ass and he's looking for you. Better make yourself scarce.See also: ass, corncob, have, up

*stiff as a poker

rigid and inflexible; stiff and awkward. (Usually used to describe people. *Also: as ~.) This guy's dead. He's cold and as stiff as a poker. John is not a very good dancer; he's stiff as a poker.See also: poker, stiff

poker face

A visage lacking any expression that can be interpreted, as in Whenever Betty attended one of her children's performances, she managed to keep a poker face . This term alludes to the facial expression of a poker player who is expert at concealing his feelings about his hand. [c. 1880] See also: face, poker

stiff as a board

Also, stiff as a poker. Inflexible, rigidly formal, unbending, as in This cloth is stiff as a board; what happened to it? or There he stood, stiff as a poker, unwilling to give an inch. The board in the first simile for rigidity is a slab of wood; the second, alluding to the iron implement used to push around logs in open fires, dates from the late 1700s. See also: board, stiff

stiff as a board

If you or your body are as stiff as a board, you are very stiff. You'll achieve flexibility very quickly with these exercises — even if you're as stiff as a board at your first session. His lower back felt as stiff as a board.See also: board, stiff

(as) stiff as a ˈboard

(of things) very firm and difficult to bend or move: He left his gloves outside in the snow, and when he found them again they were as stiff as a board.See also: board, stiff

(as) stiff as a ˈpoker

(informal) (usually of people) very straight or upright in the way you sit or stand: The old lady was sitting upright in her chair, stiff as a poker.See also: poker, stiff

poker face, a

Total lack of expression; deadpan. This term comes from gambling, where the astute player tries not to betray the quality of his or her hand by remaining expressionless. Originating in the late nineteenth century, the term was transferred to other areas in which individuals tried hard not to betray their thoughts. C. E. Mulford used it in his western novel, Rustler’s Valley (1924): “He glanced around the circle and found poker faces.”See also: poker

stiff as a board

Rigid, inflexible. This common simile for being unbending is replacing the earlier stiff as a poker, probably because central heating has made fireplace implements like pokers less common household items. Stiff as a poker dates from the eighteenth century; it appeared in numerous sources, such as “Stuck up as stiff as a poker” (George Colman, Jr., The Heir at Law, 1797). Earlier still was stiff as a stake (sixteenth century), which is now obsolete. See also: board, stiff

poker

poker,

card game, believed to have originated in Asia and first played in the United States in the 19th cent. A traditional cutthroat gambling game at first, it is now also an internationally popular social pastime.

Basic Rules

Poker is fundamentally a gambling game and is played either for money or for chips purchased from the game's banker. In all of the many variations there are betting rounds during which each player in the game must fold (stop playing the hand), call (equal the bet made), or raise (increase the bet made). All bets are placed together to form a pot. The object of all poker games is to win the pot either by holding the best hand or by inducing (bluffing) the others to drop.

The two basic forms are draw poker and stud poker, in both of which a deck of 52 cards is used and sometimes a joker added. Five players are said to make the best game, although from 2 to 10 are able to play at once. All suits are equal, and cards rank from the ace as high (it is also low) down through the two, or deuce. Often deuces are designated "wild," thereby counting (at the holder's option) for any other card.

There are 2,598,960 possible poker hands with 52 cards. In both draw and stud poker the player who holds in his hand the best combination of cards wins the game. The principal combinations rank as follows: straight flush (a five-card sequence in one suit, e.g., the ace, king, queen, jack and ten, also called a royal flush, the highest possible combination in the game), four of a kind (e.g., four aces), full house (three of a kind plus a pair), flush (five of one suit), straight (a five-card sequence regardless of suit), three of a kind, two pairs, and one pair. Below this, pots are won by the hand holding the highest cards.

Draw Poker

In draw poker five cards are dealt singly, face down and in rotation, to each player who has paid an ante to the pot before play began. Betting proceeds in clockwise fashion from the player at the dealer's left, who may either put up an opening wager or check (defer to the next player). Once a player has opened the betting, the others must call the opening player's bet to stay in the game. In jackpots, perhaps the commonest variety of draw poker, a player must have at least a pair of jacks to open.

At the conclusion of the first round of betting, a player may now stand pat (hold his or her five original cards) or draw from one to four cards from the stack (after discarding the same number from the hand). Another betting interval follows, beginning with the opener. If a bet is not met, the winner is not required to show his or her hand. When a bet is called, all hands are shown and the best hand wins.

Stud Poker

In stud poker, sometimes called open poker, each player is dealt singly one card down (the hole card) and one card face up. Each player looks at the card he or she has in the hole, but lets it remain face down. The player with the highest card showing starts a betting interval, and when all players have completed their betting, another card is dealt face up. This goes on until each player has four cards showing and one face down. After the final betting interval, the hole cards are exposed and the best hand wins. The many variations of poker include high-low poker, seven-card stud poker, and spit-in-the-ocean.

Bibliography

See A. H. Morehead, The Complete Guide to Winning Poker (1967); A. N. Darling, The Great American Pastime (1970); J. McManus, Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker (2009).

poker

¹ a metal rod, usually with a handle, for stirring a fire

poker

² a card game of bluff and skill in which bets are made on the hands dealt, the highest-ranking hand (containing the most valuable combinations of sequences and sets of cards) winning the pool

poker

pok·er 1

pok·er 2

poker

poker

pok•er1

pok•er2

Poker

poker1

Poker

poker

(as) stiff as a poker

have a poker up (one's) butt

have a poker up (one's) ass

have a poker up (one's) arse

poker face

have a corncob up one's ass

*stiff as a poker

poker face

stiff as a board

stiff as a board

(as) stiff as a ˈboard

(as) stiff as a ˈpoker

poker face, a

stiff as a board

poker

poker,

Basic Rules

Draw Poker

Stud Poker

Bibliography

poker

poker

poker

Synonyms for poker

noun fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle

Synonyms

Related Words

noun any of various card games in which players bet that they hold the highest-ranking hand

Synonyms

Related Words

pok·er¹

pok·er²

pok•er¹

pok•er²

poker¹