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Bullets -
1. Nickname for pocket aces.
2. Avoiding a bad situation or card is called dodging a bullet.
3. Making a bet (as in "Fired a bullet.")
Over the years, players have developed many nicknames for the various starting hands in Texas Hold’em. The most powerful hand, pocket
Aces, has many nicknames including “bullets.” Other nicknames for pocket Aces include pocket rockets, two sticks, and American Airlines.
Pocket Aces are by far the most powerful starting hand in the game of Hold’em, no matter what nickname you use. In a game where one pair
often wins, your opponent will have to make at least two pair to beat them. You will receive bullets, on average, once out of every 221
hands, making your preflop odds 220 to 1 against. If you are dealt bullets you will be a huge favorite against any other hand. Suited
connectors fare the best against bullets. Depending upon their ranking and suit, suited connectors can win as much as 23% of the time in
a heads up showdown. Ace rag, which fares the worst, can win as little as 5% of the time.
Although having bullets will make you a favorite against any individual hand, if there are a number of players in the pot, you may be an
underdog to the field. Another way to think about this is that each of your opponents will have between a 5% and 23% chance of beating you.
The more opponents you face, the higher the probability you will lose In a multi-way action hand, it is conceivable that your bullets could
be a 2 to 1 dog or worse. Don’t let this bother you. Having more players in the hand also means that you will win a much bigger pot when your
hand holds up. If you are dealt bullets, you will always have pot odds to raise before the flop, no matter how many opponents you are facing.
The term, "bullet" is also used when a player escapes a hand where his opponent has a lot of outs to beat him. There are times when a
player is ahead in the hand, but still considered an underdog.
An example of this would be when a player holds A♠9♦ on a 9♥8♥4♣ board while his opponent holds J♥T♥.
The player with J♥T♥ is behind on the flop, but is a 69% favorite because he has so many outs including any spade, any jack, ten,
seven, or queen. If the player holding the A♠9♦ still wins by escaping all those cards, he is said to have dodged bullets. Phil
Hellmuth made this phrase even more famous during the 2005 World Series of Poker when he stated on camera, "I can dodge bullets, baby!"
Making a bet in poker is often called "firing a bullet." Firing two bullets (leading on the flop and turn) when bluffing is a move
that successful players make, but it is something that should only be done occasionally. Firing three bullets doesn't happen very often, but when
a player manages to fire three bullets on a bluff and is successful, the reward feels even sweeter.
Usage: I Was Dealt Bullets, I Had Bullets, I Dodged a Bullet, I Can Dodge Bullets Baby, Fired a Bullet, Firing Two Bullets, Fired a Third Bullet
Previous Poker Term: Buck
Next Poker Term: Bump |
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