Poker players use so many words and phrases unique to the game that you need a dictionary alongside you while you're learning to play.  You need to know some terms because they refer to specific rules;  some terms you need to know because they describe a type of play or player you need to adjust your strategy for.  Some terms are used just because they sound cool.  Since we are currently interested in your poker survival,  we probably won't bother with many of the just-cool words.

In a popular poker forum,  a woman  (who recently tried some live games for the first time)  described a casino dealer who ridiculed her because someone called a straddle bet and she had no idea what one was.  The dealer told her she shouldn't be sitting at a live table if she didn't know.  She stood her ground -- or rather kept her seat -- and forced some information out of him,  but all he told her was it meant she had to put in an additional bet to the ante to stay in the hand.  This dealer was a jerk,  and should have explained more.  We hope she soon found another table.

A Straddle Bet  is made by the player immediately after -- and to the left of -- the Big Blind.  The action must have just passed to him, meaning it is his turn, or he is  Under The Gun,  and no one has gotten any cards yet.  Which makes it an unusual time to bet,  actually.  If he now posts a Straddle Bet he is effectively posting an additional blind bet.  The house rules of poker must allow straddles;  not all do.  The next player after him must call it,  raise,  or fold.  (So this is why the woman in the previous example had to put in twice as much ante as she thought.)  If,  going around the table,  no one raises,  including the Blinds,  then the person who posted the straddle may be allowed to reraise his own bet on his next turn;  this is called his  Option.  In this instance,  his straddle bet may be called a  Live Blind,  because his blind bet is still  "live"  when the action returns to him.  House rules differ,  some offering Live Blinds and others don't.  Anyway,  for that player,  posting frequent straddle bets can be very expensive and downright unfruitful,  unless the purpose is to loosen up a table of tight players.

So what is a  Tight Player?  And what is a Tight Game?  If you're a tight player,  this means you play fewer games and fold earlier than others;  you're tight with your cash,  and don't play unsatisfactory hands.  If a table is populated with several such players,  it's called a tight game because there's not much action.

What is  Check/Calling?  Well,  naturally,  it is saying  "Check"  on one betting round,  then  "Call"  on your next turn;  but it has a certain connotation if you do it when you have a really strong hand.  Your hand was good enough for you to have Called or even Raised in that first round, but you didn't;  you decided not to reveal the strength of your hand just yet.  Showing all that confidence right off the bat could cause other players to fold and the pot ends up being smaller.  Checking on the first round is fairly wise,  even if you think your hand is very good,  because someone else's could be better.  Slowplay  is another name for this kind of careful underbetting then gradually increasing your bets on a strong hand.

What is  Check/Raising?  If you check in the first round,  then raise in the next,  obviously you thought your hand was strong enough to raise in the first round, but you didn't,  to lure other players in to lose their money to you.  This is Check/Raising,  or sometimes called  Sandbagging,  and while it is often seen negatively,  experienced players consider it just one of the risks of the game.  You're going to have to deal with all kinds of players,  after all.

There are two terms used in connection with the previous strategies:  Smooth Call,  which means you've Called the bet in a natural-sounding way so few or no players can tell that you're slowplaying;  and  Flat Call,  which means you've Called the bet in a tone that tells just about everyone that something's probably up;  you definitely sound like you are calling with reluctance and you wished you could check.  Are you really calling just to avoid folding,  or are you being deceptive?  Slowplaying -- if that's what you're doing -- is akin to bluffing,  so you need to do it well.

What are the  Nuts, for heaven's sake? Players are always saying they've got the nuts;  do they mean they've got balls?  No!  The Nuts is the best possible hand,  and in community card games like Texas Hold'em,  the Nuts is usually the same for all players.  In Hold'em,  the Nuts is always at least trips  something.

Ever heard of a  String Bet  not being allowed at that cardroom?  Then you'd better be careful how you speak when you're playing.  If you're going to Call,  say  "Call."  If you're going to Raise,  say  "Raise,"  and do NOT say  "I Call your $xxx... and Raise you $xxx."  This is considered misleading,  and stringing players along;  hence it is called a String Bet.

And finally,  we'll leave you with a  Scare Card.  This is a card that turns up in a community game on the  Board,  which means simply it's one of those shared cards lying on the table,  and it happens to be a card that could make a better hand much more likely.  Everyone is worried about it,  in consequence.