In poker, there are a lot of technical terms that can be confusing for new players. Here are some common poker terms and their definitions to help you get started:
Action: Refers to the act of taking your turn in a hand. For example, if it’s your turn to call or raise, that’s considered “action.”
All-in: When a player bets all of their chips on a single hand.
Bet: To put chips into the pot.
Blind: A forced bet that must be made before any cards are dealt. The small blind is typically half of the big blind.
Board: Refers to the community cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table and shared by all players.
Button: A marker that indicates which player is currently in the dealer position. The button rotates clockwise around the table after each hand.
Buy-in: The minimum amount of chips required to sit down at a particular table.
Call: To match the current bet in order to stay in the hand.
Check: To pass on betting when it’s your turn, with the option to call or raise if someone else bets later in the same round.
Check-raise: When you check on one round of betting, and then raise on another round after someone else has bet.
Chips: Also called “tokens” or “pieces,” these are what you use to bet with instead of cash.
Deal: To give out the cards during a hand.
Dealer: The player who deals the cards during a hand.
Flop: The first three community cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table during a hand of Texas Hold’em.
Fold: To give up your hand and stop playing for that particular round.
Hand: The five cards (two hole cards and three community cards) that a player has to make their best possible poker hand from during a round of play.
Heads Up: A game between only two players, typically played when only two people are left in a tournament or cash game.
Hole Cards: The two face-down cards that each player is dealt at the beginning of each hand.
Kicker: When two players have similar hands (like two pairs), this is used as a tiebreaker; whoever has the higher “kicker” card wins the pot.
Limit Poker: A type of poker where betting is restricted to set limits for each round (like $2/$4 limit hold’em).
No-Limit Poker : A type of poker where there are no limits on how much you can bet per round (like no-limit Texas Hold’em).
Outs : Cards that will improve your hand if they are dealt, giving you a better chance of winning the pot . For example , if you have two clubs in your hand , and there are three more clubs showing on the flop , then you have nine outs .
Overcards : Cards that are higher than any other card on the board , giving you a better chance of winning if they are part of your final hand . For example , if you have an Ace – King and an opponent has an Ace – Queen , then you have two overcards .
Position : Where you sit relative to other players at the table ; this can affect how often you get to act on each hand . For example , being “under -the gun” means being first to act on each round , while being “in position ” means being last to act .
Pot : All of the chips that have been bet during a particular hand ; whoever has the best hand at showdown will win all of the money in the pot .
Raise : To increase the current bet by putting more chips into the pot ; this must be at least double what was previously bet . For example , if someone bets $ 10 , and you want to stay in but think your chances are better than 50 / 50 , then you might want to raise $ 20 . If everyone else folds , then you win $ 20 without even having to show your cards !
Rake : The amount of money taken out bythe house as payment for hostingthe game ; typically between 5 % – 10 %of each pot . This money goes towardsthe casino / poker room ‘s operating expensesand profits .
