Poker Glossary

1 Jul 2009

A

All-In

Going all in is to place all final moneys or chips in the pot. A player will go all in once they have run out of chips whilst betting or calling.

B

Blind and Big Blind

A blind is a forced bet typically played by the player to the left of the button. The blind is usually a partial bet whereas the big blind is the larger of the two blinds and is the full forced bet in a round.

 Burn

Burning is the term used to explain the discarding of the top card from the deck. The top card is ‘burnt’ before each round of betting is dealt. This prevents any players having a glimpse of the first card dealt.

Button

The button is a white disk to indicate the dealer in the game.

Buy

To ‘buy the pot’ – this is a bluffing concept where you aim to ‘buy’ the pot without necessarily having a winning hand.

To “buy the button” is to bet or raise in the hope that you will make the other players between you and the button fold. This allows you to act last on any further betting rounds.

C

Call

To call is to match the previous bet or raise.

Calling Station

This is the name given to a player who calls regularly but doesn’t raise or fold very often. Often considered a weak opponent.

Cap

A cap is the final raise permitted in a round of betting.

Case

The case is the final card of a certain rank within a deck.

Check

To check is to forgo betting in a round, this means you do not bet but have the option to call or raise later.

 

Check Raise

To check and meet the previous raise, then initiate a further raise.

Community Cards

Community Cards are the cards which appear face up on the middle of the poker table and are shared in many popular Poker games including Hold’em and Omaha.

Crack

To beat a hand, this usually refers to beating a big hand.

D

Dealer

The dealer in a game of poker is the person dealing the cards. In online poker, the players will usually take it in turns to play the role of the dealer but the cards will be automatically dealt for them. It is necessary to identify who is playing the dealer with the button so that the small and big blind structure can be maintained.

Draw

Drawing is the term used to describe a hand that isn’t good yet, but could become good in further rounds of betting.

Draw Dead

To Draw Dead is to make a hand which will not win the pot. This means that your hand is not complete and an opponent has a better hand than you.

E

F

Family Pot

A family pot is the term used to explain a pot where all players call before the flop.

Flop

The flop is the first three community cards placed on the poker table face up.

Fold

To fold is to thrown in your hand instead of calling or raising. This is your way to leave the game.

G

H

Heads Up

If the pot is being contested by two players is called a Heads Up.

Hole Cards

The hole cards are the cards dealt face down to a player. In Texas Hold’em, for example, there are two hole cards dealt to each player.

House

This is the establishment running the game.

I

J

K

Kicker

A kicker card is an unpaired card which is used to determine the better hand out of two equally ranked hands disregarding the kicker. A winning kicker is the highest ranked card.

L

M

Muck

The muck is the pile of folded and burned cards.

N

No-Limit

No –limit poker allows players to bet any amount of chips.

Nuts

The nuts is the best possible hand that can be made on the board.

O

Offsuit

A Texas Hold’em starting hand with two cards of different suits.

One-Gap

This is a Texas Hold’em starting hand where cards are two apart in rank.

Overcall

To overcall is to call a bet when one or more additional players have called.

Overcard

An overcard is a card higher than any card on the board.

P

Play the Board

If your hole cards are worse than the cards on the board, you must play the board as this represents the best possible hand. If you play the board, the best you can achieve is to split the pot with the rest of the players.

Pocket

Your pocket cards are the cards that only you can see. The phrase is often used to refer to a ‘pocket pair’ where you are dealt a pair.

Pot-Limit

A Pot-Limit game means that you can bet no more than is in the pot at any given time.

Pot Odds

The amount of money in the pot in comparison to the minimum bet you must play with.

Q

Quads

Quads is another term for four of a kind.

R

Rainbow

A rainbow is a flop which contains three different suits.

Raise

Raise to increase the amount of the current bet.

Rank

Card ranking is the value of a card numerically.

River

The river is the final community card placed face up.

S

Set

A set is three of a kind when you have a pair in your hand and one on the board.

Showdown

The showdown is the point at which all players remaining turn over their cards to determine who has the best hand.

Side Pot

A side pot is created when a player has run out of chips and cannot contribute fully to the main pot.

Small Blind

The small blind is usually used in a Hold’em game. This is smaller of the two blind or forced bets which are taken to the right of the dealer.

Split Pot

A split pot is a shared pot between two players who have equal hands.

T

Tell

A Tell is a clue that a player gives about their hand. Picking up on tells is one of the most important skills in poker.

Tilt

Tilting is to play recklessly.

Trips

Trips is a form of slag for three of a kind,

Turn

The turn is the fourth community card placed face up.

U

Under the Gun

The person in the Under the Gun position is the first player on a betting round.

V

W

X

Y

Z