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.
D
Drawing Hand
A hand that needs to improve in the next betting rounds in order to win.
E
Early Position
Positions on a betting round where the players must act before the other players at the table (the positions directly to the left of the Big Blind).
F
Flop
The flop is formed by the first three community cards that are dealt face-up in the center of the table, all at once.
Flush
A combination of five cards of the same suit.
Flush Draw
When a player already has a combination of four cards of the same suit and is hoping to draw a fifth card to make a flush.
Fold
To throw your hand away when it's your turn to act. Any bets made by the player until he folds stay in the pot and he will have to wait until the next hand in order to play again.
Four of a Kind
Also known as Poker or Quads. When a player makes a combination of 4 cards of the same rank (ex: four aces, four sixes, etc.)
Full House
A combination of three cards of the same rank and two other cards of the same rank (ex: three aces and two queens).
H
Hand
The best possible combination of five cards a player can make.
Heads-up
When only two players are involved in a hand.
Hold'em
Also known as Texas Hold'em, it is the most popular Poker game. In this game, the players get two hole cards and five community cards in order to make the best possible five-card combination.
Hole Cards
Cards that are dealt face down so that only the player can see them. In Texas Hold’em the players get two hole cards and in Omaha the players get four hole cards.
K
Kicker
A card that does not take part in determining the value of the hand but that may be used as a tie-breaker between hands of the same value (ex: a player holds A-8 and another player holds A-7. If both pair their aces, the player with A-8 wins because 8 is a higher kicker than 7)
L
Late Position
Positions on a betting round where the players must act after the other players at the table (the button and the positions directly to his right).
M
Main Pot
All active players compete for the main pot. If a player goes all-in, then a side pot opens for further bets from the players who still have chips in front of them.
Middle Position
Positions between the early and late positions on any betting round.
Muck
To discard or throw away your hole cards. It also refers to the pile of cards which is no longer in play.
N
No Limit
A game where players can bet all their chips at any given moment.
Nuts
A player has the “nuts” if he has the best possible combination with the cards that have been dealt until that moment.
O
Odds
The probability of winning the pot.
Offsuit
Cards of a different suit.
Outs
The number of cards left in the deck that will improve the player’s hand.
Overpair
A pocket pair higher than any of the cards on the board.
P
Pair
A combination of two equally ranked cards.
Playing the Board
Playing the board means using the five community cards to make the best possible hand instead of using a combination of community cards and hole cards.
Pocket Pair
A player has a pocket pair when his two hole cards have the same value.
Position
Where a player is seated in relation to the dealer, therefore establishing that player's place in the betting order.
Pot
The sum of money or chips in the center of the table that players try to win in every single hand.
Pot Limit
In a pot limit game, the maximum allowed bet or raise is equivalent to the size of the pot.
Pot Odds
Ratio between the size of the pot and the size of the bet you are facing.
Q
Quads
Also known as four of a kind or poker. A player has quads if he has a combination of four cards of the same value.
R
Raise
To increase the size of a previous bet which was placed in the same betting round.
Rake
Commission fee taken by the operator. In cash games, the rake is a percentage of each pot while in tournaments, the rake is a percentage of the buy-in.
Rebuy
Rebuy means purchasing more chips to keep playing. Rebuys are used mainly in cash games but also in specific tournament formats.
Re-raise
Re-raise means making a raise after a previous raise has already been made in the same betting round.
River
River is the name of the 5th and last community card dealt to the table and the betting round that follows it.
Royal Flush
It is a straight from a Ten to an Ace, where all five cards are of the same suit. It's the best possible hand in any poker game.
S
Satellite
A satellite tournament is a qualifying event to a bigger event. Winners of a satellite win the buy-in to a larger, more prestigious tournament.
Set
Three of a kind using a pocket pair.(ex: if a player has 5-5 as his hole cards and another five comes on flop, he hit a set).
Showdown
When all active players turn their cards face-up to see who has won the pot after the final betting round.
Side Pot
When one player is all-in, the remaining active players may continue to bet between themselves. These additional bets go to the side pot and the all-in player won’t have access to it.
Small Blind
A mandatory bet placed by the player sitting directly on the dealer’s left, before any cards are dealt.
Split Pot
There is a split pot whenever there is a tie between two or more players. This means that the players have similarly valued hands and the money in the pot is split between them.
Stack
The amount of chips that a player has in front of him.
Straight
Five consecutive cards of any suit.
Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Structure
The characteristics of a given poker tournament such as blind levels, payouts and the possibility to rebuy.
Suit
Every deck of cards has four suits: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades.
T
Texas Hold'em
Also known as just Hold'em, the most popular poker variant.
Three of a Kind
A hand in which a player has a combination of three equally ranked cards.
Top Pair
A hand in which a player pairs one of his hole cards with the highest card on the board.
Tournament
A poker tournament is a type of game where players compete to win a share of the total prize pool. All the participants pay a fee in the form of a buy-in to enter, which will give each player a set number of chips. The blinds in poker tournaments increase at pre-determined intervals to induce action and the player who manages to win all the chips in play is declared the winner and gets the biggest share of the prize pool.
Turn
Turn is the name of the 4th community card dealt to the table and the betting round that follows it.
Two Pair
A hand which contains two different pairs.
U
Underpair
A pocket pair of lower value than the lowest card on the board.
Under The Gun (UTG)
Position directly to the left of the Big Blind.