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Meaning of "going north" idiom, in the context of poker

English Language & Usage Asked on July 18, 2021

I’m wondering what is the meaning of "going north" ?

Also really proud of shorting Vinny, he got caught 4 times going north… obnoxious, rude and wasn’t thrown out and it was 25 dollars… full rack!

It is in a discussion on a poker player who used to scam other players

One Answer

In Poker,

Go north often means sneaking/adding chips to the stack in front of you on the table*. It is possible that the subject got caught rearranging/hiding the chips in front of them.

Go South means removing chips from the table to reduce the stake. This is considered bad manners, and is often called 'ratholing'

It is not just Poker...the expression is often used by financial/real-estate/etc agents.

North of a price means over the price.

used to say that an amount is more than the stated amount:

Cambridge online

South of a price is less...


Also...

short someone

usually means give less that what was due, possibly indicating not paying off vales, or not meeting an 'all in' due to short stack count.

full rack

...refers to a rack of chips by denomination. That would be 5 stacks of 20 each. A stack would refer to the chips stacked in front of the player, usually 20-35.

For more information,


(*I have also heard at least 2 references to the phrase used to mean going to the bathroom, but I am still trying to confirm that.)

Correct answer by Cascabel on July 18, 2021

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