“I’ve got two live cards!” It’s one of the favorite expressions of the short stack who has gotten caught trying to steal his way out of the low man on the totem pole spot. Having two live cards in online poker means that you have two cards that no one else in the pot against you does, such as a 4 6 against AK, or so on.
The statement is usually used when the player needs to come from behind a bigger hand to win, and is therefore trying to cheer himself up by knowing that even though he is behind right now, there are plenty of cards in the deck that can come and change the situation.
Having ‘live cards’ in Texas Holdem is pretty much the opposite of the concept of ‘dominated hands,’ where the players share cards and one player is ahead by having a better kicker. Obviously it is always better to have live cards than dead ones, and there’s probably some want for an electrical surge to come fill the cards and give them what they need to overcome the favorite.
If you don’t have two live cards, you might say you have ‘one live card,’ such as hold a hand like K 10 against QQ, wherein your ‘Kings are live,’ and if you hit one of the remaining kings, you will win the pot.
