A setA pocket pair that connects with the board, making a three-of-a-kind.
Action
Another term for "betting".
Ante
A small sum of money placed in the pot by each player in addition to the blinds, normally in late stages of tournaments.
Bad beat
A hand that is beaten by someone getting very lucky and drawing out that hand.
Bankroll
The sum of your total account stack.
Betting rounds
Every poker hand played is divided into four betting rounds which start at the player to the left of the button in the first position making an action. Please see our
Holdem Rules for more information.
Blinds
Forced bets placed in the pot by the first two players in front of the dealer button, in Hold'em. See "small blind" and "big blind."
Bluff
To bet when you are holding a weak hand, hoping that the intimidation factor of your bet can win the hand.
Board
The five community cards that all the players can see and use to build their hand.
- Flop, the first three community cards to be dealt
- Turn, the fourth community card
- River, the fifth and final community card
Bring-in
In Stud, a bet that must be made on the very first betting round. Usually the player showing the lowest card is forced to make a bet; in some games, the player showing the highest card is forced. The bring-in applies only on the very first betting round, though. On all further rounds, the player showing the highest hand on board has the OPTION to bet first, but need not.
Bust
You're bust when you lose your entire stack of chips or bankroll.
Button
A virtual dealer disc moved from player to player in a clockwise direction after each hand. The player on the button always acts last. Consequently the player left of the button, in the first position, always acts first.
Call
To match a bet that has been made.
Cap
There can only be a maximum of three raises in any given betting round. The last raise is called the cap.
Check
To possess the option to bet, but decline. A player cannot check once someone else has bet, at that point, the player must call, raise, or fold. But if no one has yet bet, a player can check, allowing the betting option to pass to the next player.
Check-raise
To check, indicating weakness, with the intention of raising after someone else bets.
Check-raises are allowed in all poker games, in some home games, they are frowned upon.
Community cards
The five cards on the board shared by all players.
Connectors
Starting hands that are connected through their value like J-10, A-K and 7-8.
Cracked
When the fantastic starting hand like two aces is beaten – the aces are cracked.
Dominated
A hand that is subdued by another hand. For example, AK would dominate AJ if an ace falls on the board. The dominated hand has a lower kicker J and little chance of winning.
Draw hand
A hand that needs a certain community card to come into play in order to win – most commonly with a straight or a flush.
Drawing dead
A hand that cannot win even though the entire board cards are not all dealt yet on the table.
Edge
In the long run even luck runs out and skill alone defines the difference required to win. The Edge is the slight advantage one player has over another through better skill, a larger stack or a better position.
Fifth Street
The fifth community card in Hold'em (5th street is more often called "the river").
Fish
A derogatory nickname for bad players who lose regularly or get very lucky.
Flat call
Making a call in a situation where a raise would have been a better play.
Flop
In Hold'em the first three community cards, turned up all at once are known as the flop.
Fold
To throw away your hand.
Fourth Street
The fourth community card in Hold'em (4th street is also called "the turn").
Freeroll
A tournament that is free to enter.
Grinder
A player who plays for hours at a time with the intent of slowly and carefully building a large bankroll.
Gut shot
To draw to an inside straight.
Heads-up
A poker game with only two players.
Hole cards
Cards that are dealt face down to all players.
Inside straight
On a 5, 9, Q flop with 6, 7 hole cards, an 8 would make the inside straight!
Kicker
When two players hold equal hands such as the same pair, the highest unpaired card is called the kicker and it decides the winner.
Limit
The Dollar value of the blind. Defines how "big" the game is. You need a much larger stack to play a $50-limit game than a $0.50 game.
Limping
Calling the big blind in pre-flop action.
Narrowing the Field
To bet or raise to make players fold their hands.
Nuts, The
The best possible hand. This phrase is almost always used in the context of a particular hand (otherwise "the nuts" would just be a term for a royal flush). For example, in Hold'em, a player holding 8-9 would hold "the nuts" if the flop came 6-7-10. At that moment, the 6-7-8-9-10 straight is the best possible hand. However, if the Turn card were a Jack, and the River a Queen, a player holding A-K would then have the nuts-a 10-J-Q-K-A straight.
Off-suit
A starting hand with two different suits.
Open-ended straight
A straight draw that can hit both ways. With a J10 on the flop, a player holding KQ has an open-ended straight draw, hitting with an ace or a nine.
Outs
The total number of possibilities a player has to win a pot, based on the current situation. If the player holds 99 and needs another 9 to win, then he would have a total of two outs.
Over card
Pocket cards that have a value higher than the highest card currently on the board. An ace and a king are over cards to a 57J flop.
Pocket pair
Holding two equally valued cards like AA, KK, 77 or 22.
Position
A player's position in relation to the dealer button. As the button moves, so does your position. These are defined as:
- Early First three seats left of (after) the button. The least desirable positions as these players must make their moves first
- Middle Seats 4 to 7 after the button
- Late Positions 8 and 9. Playing out of this position gives players an edge since they have already seen the other player's moves
- On the button This seat acts last and as such, has an even bigger edge than the late position
Pot
The money in the center of the table, being contested for by the players still remaining in the hand.
Rag
A low-value community card that will probably have no effect on the outcome of a hand.
Rake
The amount of money the poker room takes from the pot to make money from the poker game. In low-limit games, the poker room usually rakes some percentage of the pot, usually a maximum of 5% of the pot.
Ring game
Single table game where all bets are made directly from a player's stack and not put into a prize pool and divided at the end as in a tournament. It's every hand for itself. Players can join and enter these games as they please. Sometimes referred to as a cash game.
River
In Hold'em the fifth and final community card. Also sometimes called fifth street.
Rock
A player known to be very conservative who usually only bets or raises only when he has a very powerful hand.
Showdown
All players still left in the pot after the final betting round show their cards to reveal the winner.
Small Blind
A mandatory bet that must be posted by the player seated to the left of the button.
Stack the pot
Any player who bets heavily with little chance of winning the pot.
Starting hand
The two cards dealt to each player at the start of a hand.
Steam
When players lose their tempers and start playing badly, they're steaming.
Streak
To be "in the zone" and win with whatever cards you are dealt.
Suited hand
Starting hand with matching suits – hearts, clubs, spades or diamonds.
Tells
Behavioural patterns that provide subtle clues of a player’s moves and strategies.
Tilt
To completely lose it and play recklessly. This is most common after a player has taken several bad beats.
Trap
To lure other players to stay in and preferably raise a pot you are absolutely sure you are going to win.
