Glossary of Poker Terms

Poker, like so many other pastimes and professions, has developed its own terminology. This guide includes not just common poker terms, but also those specifically related to online Poker.

All-in - If you run out of chips during a hand, but don't wish to fold, you are All-in. This means you have the potential to win a share of the pot up to and including your last contribution to that pot. You cannot share in any bets added beyond that point. These bets form a side-pot. The all-in is also used for situations where a player in a hand loses connection to the server.

Away-from-table - In tournaments, you may not "sit out". Rather, you may be "away-from-table" which means you are dealt into every hand, posting blinds when it's your turn, and then folded when there is a raise before the flop, or a bet after the flop. When you are in a tournament and need to leave, time-out, or lose your connection, you are automatically marked as "away-from-table".

Bad Beat - This term refers to a heavy favorite in a hand who loses to an opponent who was a severe underdog statistically speaking.

Bet the Pot - This term is used in pot limit games. It means your bet matches the current amount in the pot. If, when your turn to bet, the pot was at $217, and you bet the pot, your bet is $217.

Big Blind (limit poker) - In games using a blind to put money in play, the big blind is generally equal to the lower amount of the stakes for that game. In a $5/$10 game, the big blind is $5. The big blind follows the small blind, which is put up by the first player to the left of the dealer.

Blind - This term refers to the required bets, called the small blind and the big blind used to put money into play. The blinds are mandatory bets and rotate around the table.

Board - The community cards in Hold'em are collectively known as the board.

Burn - In physical poker rooms, the top card of the deck is discarded prior to each round of dealing. The intent is to minimize the risk of cheating by knowing the next card.

Buy-in - The amount of money you sit down in a game with.

Call - When a player matches the prior bet on the table, that action is termed the call.

Cap - The last permitted raise in a betting round is called the cap.

Check - If there is no bet on the table and you do not wish to place a bet, that action is termed a check. You may only check when there are no prior bets.

Collusion - A form of cheating where two or more players attempt to gain an unfair advantage by sharing information.

Community Cards - Face up cards on the table that are shared by all players are termed community cards. Texas Hold'em and Omaha always have community cards.

Dead Blind - In a situation where you have missed your blinds and wish to re-enter the game before your turn to post the big blind. You must post both blinds and the small blind is termed a dead blind, meaning it does not count towards calling a bet.

Dead Hand - A hand no longer in the game.

Down Cards - The face-down cards dealt to a player, also termed hole cards.

Drawing Dead - This describes the situation when a player is trying to draw a card to complete a hand when there is already a hand that will beat it, even if made.

Drop - To drop your hand when you decide not to go further with your hand; to return your cards to the muck. Same as fold.

Face Down - Dealt cards that are not visible to other players.

Face Up - Dealt cards that are visible to all players.

Flop - In Texas Hold'em, the set of 3 face-up community cards or the first three cards on the board, all dealt at the same time.

Flush - Any 5 cards in one hand that are all the same suit.

Fold - Withdraw from further participation in the current hand. Also see drop.

Forced Bet - A mandatory bet. In certain games, a player is required to bet, having sat-in the game.

Four of a Kind - A great hand ... all 4 of one rank. For example, 4 Tens.

Freeroll - This term applies to poker tournaments where the entry fee, the stakes, or both the entry fee and stakes are waived. In some non-freeroll tournaments, the house may guarantee a minimum prize pool.

Full House - A hand in which you have a combination of 3 of a kind, and a pair.

Hand - A set of cards used by a player during a single round. Another word for a single round of shuffling, dealing, and betting.

Heads Up - A game where only two players remain in contention for the pot.

Head to Head - A game where only two players may participate.

High Card - The card with the highest rank.

High/Low - A variation of a game where the pot is split between the best hand and the worst hand. The worst hand is comprised of the 5 lowest cards. Most poker rooms consider 5, 4, 3, 2, A (the wheel) as the lowest possible hand, despite it also being a straight.

Hold'em - Also called Texas Hold'em. One of the most popular poker games. Each player gets 2 down cards and can use 3, 4, or 5 of the community cards.

Hole Cards - The down cards in a player's hand.

In - A term for being an active player; one who has not folded.

Inside Straight - The term applied when a player has 4 of 5 cards needed for a straight with the missing card being inside the sequence rather than at either end, and gets the missing card. For example, a player holding 3, 4, 5, 7 needs a 6 to complete the straight. Getting that 6 is termed "making the inside straight."

Jackpot - A bonus opportunity to win under specific circumstances set by the poker room.

Kicker - The term for the card used to break ties between two of a kind or between Two Pair.

Live Blind - A blind that counts towards any bet you call or raise.

Main Pot - The initial pot of money. When one or more players go all-in, a side pot is created for each all-in player.

Muck - As a noun, this refers to the pile of folded cards and discarded cards. As a verb, at showdown time, the act of returning a losing hand to the dealer facedown.

Multi-Table Tournament - A tournament where players at more than one table compete, starting with equal numbers of chips, until one player has won all the chips. Prize payouts are a function of the number of entrants, and are posted on the tournaments page. Multi-table tournaments have a posted start time, and require registration in advance.

No Limit - A variation of the betting rules in which each bet is unlimited up to the number of chips a player has on the table (NL).

Omaha - A game in which each player receives 4 facedown cards and shares 5 community cards. The winning hand must use exactly 2 down cards and 3 community cards. This game also has a High/Low variant.

Omaha High/Low - This game allows players to compete for a pot split between the highest and the lowest hands using 2 down cards and 3 community cards. A player may use different sets of cards to make up the best high and the best low hands.

On the button - This term means you are in the dealer position in Texas Hold'em and Omaha games.

One on One - See head to head.

Pair - This is a hand where the player's best hand is made up of 2 cards of the same rank.

Pass - Can be used in place of either check or fold depending on the context.

Playing the Board - Using all the community cards in Hold'em as your best hand.

Pocket Cards - The term for the two down cards at the start of the hand.

Pot - The chips available to be won in any given hand.

Pot Limit - A variation on betting where each player may bet up to the current amount in the pot (PL).

Raise - The act of increasing the amount bet by a prior bettor.

Rake - The amount of money, in chips, taken by the house as the service fee.

Rank - The value of a card. The rank of the 2 of Spades is 2. The rank of the Queen of Hearts is Queen. Rank value increases from 2 through 10, followed in order by Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. In High/Low games, the Ace may be used both for its high rank and as the lowest rank card.

Re-buy - To get more chips during a game but not during a hand that you are in. This applies to real money and tournament play.

Reducing - The act of removing chips from a table and returning immediately with fewer chips. Reducing is considered poor etiquette.

River - The fifth and final community card. This card is also known as Fifth Street.

Round - This refers to the dealing of a set of cards and associated betting. For example, the dealing of the river and the bets that follow are a round.

Royal Flush - The best possible high hand. This is a straight flush from 10 through to Ace of the same suit.

Showdown - After the final bet, when all players show their hands or muck, is known as the showdown.

Side Pot - This is a pot created when a player goes all-in. The side pot is the pot available to those players not all-in at that point. There can, on occasion, be more than one side pot.

Single Table Tournament - A poker table at which you may buy-in to a seat. All buy-in money goes to the prize pool. The prize pool is returned to the top finishers per the payout table on the tournaments page. A fee is normally required to play at this table. Players are staked to equal numbers of chips and play until one player has won all the chips. Single table tournaments begin as soon as the table has filled.

Small Blind - In Hold'em and Omaha, this is the mandatory bet required of the player to the left of the dealer.

Stakes - See buy-in.

Straight - A hand in which the player has five cards in rank order. Suit does not matter. For example, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen.

Straight Flush - A straight all of the same suit.

Stud - The generic term for poker games where players receive the first card(s) down followed by some up cards where those up cards are exclusively for the use of that player. There may be a further down card as in 7 Card Stud.

Suit - Any of the four sets (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades) in a deck of cards.

Texas Hold'em - The poker game where each player gets two down cards followed by five community cards face-up.

Three of a kind - A hand consisting three cards of the same rank.

Tournament Buy-In - The cost to enter a tournament. All buy-in money is returned to the players via the prize pool.

Tournament Entry-Fee - A small fee the house charges to enter a tournament.

Trips - A nickname for three of a kind.

Turn - The nickname for the fourth community card in Hold'em and Omaha.

Two Pair - A hand in which the player has two pairs of cards.

Under-raise - This occurs when a player raises a prior bet but has to go all-in to do so with an amount less than the full raise.

Up Card - A card dealt face up, so that all players may see it.

Wheel - A nickname for the best low hand 5, 4, 3, 2, A.