Poker glossary
A
Ace-high
A five-card hand that contains one Ace with no pair, straight or flush.
Action
In every betting round, a player can decide between checking, betting or raising.
Active Player
Any player who has not yet folded his hand.
All-in
When a player bets all his/her chips.
Ante
Mandatory bet for every player in the table before the hands are dealt. Antes are very common in the late stages of poker tournaments.
B
Bad Beat
When a stronger hand loses to a weaker hand.
Bankroll
The amount of money you have in your account.
Bet
To place chips into the pot.
Betting Round
There are four betting rounds in Texas Hold’em and Omaha: Preflop, Flop, Turn and River. A betting round is finished when every player has called the biggest bet placed in that round.
Big Blind
A mandatory bet placed by the player sitting in the second position, clockwise from the dealer before any cards are dealt.
Blind
Mandatory bets that must be placed by the two players sitting directly to the dealer's left before any cards are dealt. The player sitting directly to the dealer’s left must place the small blind and the player to his left must place the big blind.
Bluff
To make other players believe that one has a better hand than he/she might have, by betting or raising. The goal of a bluff is to make other players fold the best hand.
Board
The community cards that are dealt face-up for all players to see and combine with their own hole cards. In Texas Hold’em and Omaha, five cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table. The first three cards are the flop, the fourth card is the turn and the fifth card is the river.
Bottom Pair
When a player uses the lowest card on the board to make a pair with one of his own hole cards.
Button
Also known as the dealer button, it is a small round disk that is moved from player to player in a clockwise direction after every hand. The player sitting on the button is always the last to act on the flop, turn and river.
Buy-in
The amount of money required for a player to sit down in a poker game.
C
Call
Matching the bet amount in order to have access to the next betting round.
Cash Game
Game type in which the players bet real money. Players can join or leave cash games at any given moment and there are unlimited rebuys.
Cash Out
When a player leaves a cash game and cashes in his chips.
Check
Checking is a betting action where the player choses not to bet. Checking is only possible when no one else has placed a bet before the action reaches the player.
Check-raise
When a player first checks and then raises after his opponent bets.
Chop
A chop happens when two or more players have the same winning hand at showdown. The chips are divided equally by the winning players. It also means to 'split the pot'. It’s similar to a tie.