A

Action — (1) A player’s turn to act. (2) Betting, raising, and general activity in a hand. A game with lots of betting is called an “action game.”

All-In — Betting all of your remaining chips on a single hand. If another player bets more than you have, you can go all-in for the amount you have.

Ante — A small forced bet that every player must post before a hand begins. Common in tournaments and stud games. Different from blinds, which rotate.

B

Backdoor — Making a hand by hitting the needed cards on both the turn and the river. For example, having three hearts on the flop and catching hearts on the turn and river for a “backdoor flush.”

Bad Beat — Losing a hand despite being a strong statistical favorite. The stronger your hand was when the money went in, the worse the bad beat.

Bankroll — The total amount of money a player has set aside for playing poker. Good bankroll management is essential for long-term success.

Big Blind (BB) — The larger of two forced bets posted before the deal. The big blind sits two seats to the left of the dealer button.

Blank — A community card that appears unlikely to help any player’s hand. Also called a “brick.”

Blind — A forced bet posted before cards are dealt. See Small Blind and Big Blind.

Bluff — Betting or raising with a weak hand to try to make opponents fold better hands. One of poker’s signature strategic elements.

Board — The community cards displayed face up in the center of the table. In Hold’em, the board consists of the flop, turn, and river.

Boat — Slang for a full house. “I flopped a boat” means hitting a full house on the flop.

Button — (1) The dealer position. (2) The physical disc that marks the dealer position and rotates clockwise each hand.

Buy-In — The amount of money required to enter a cash game or tournament.

C

Call — Matching the current bet to stay in the hand.

Calling Station — A player who calls frequently but rarely raises or folds. Difficult to bluff but easy to value bet against.

Cash Game — A poker game where chips represent real money and players can join or leave at any time. Also called a “ring game.”

Check — Declining to bet while staying in the hand, only possible when no one has bet in the current round.

Check-Raise — Checking with the intention of raising after an opponent bets. A powerful deceptive move.

Community Cards — Cards dealt face up in the center of the table that all players share. In Hold’em, there are five community cards.

Continuation Bet (C-Bet) — A bet made by the preflop raiser on the flop, continuing the aggression regardless of whether the flop helped their hand.

Cooler — A situation where two players both have very strong hands and a big pot is unavoidable. Unlike a bad beat, a cooler implies neither player could reasonably fold.

Cutoff — The seat directly to the right of the dealer button. The second-best position at the table.

D

Dead Man’s Hand — Aces and Eights, supposedly held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot in 1876.

Dealer — The player who distributes the cards (or the position marked by the button in a casino where a professional dealer handles the cards).

Donkey (Donk) — Slang for a weak or unskilled player. A “donk bet” is a bet made into the preflop raiser, often by a weaker player.

Double Up — Winning an all-in hand to double your chip stack.

Drawing Dead — Having no possible cards that could give you the winning hand. For example, drawing to a flush when an opponent already has a full house.

Draw — A hand that needs one or more cards to become complete. A “flush draw” needs one more card of the same suit.

E

Early Position — The seats that act first in a betting round, typically under the gun and the next one or two seats.

Equity — The percentage of the pot that a player is expected to win based on their current hand strength and potential to improve.

Expected Value (EV) — The average amount a decision will win or lose over time if repeated. A positive EV decision is profitable long-term.

F

Fish — Slang for a weak, inexperienced player. “There are a lot of fish at those low stakes.”

Flop — The first three community cards dealt simultaneously after the preflop betting round.

Flush — Five cards of the same suit. A flush beats a straight but loses to a full house.

Fold — Discarding your hand and forfeiting your interest in the current pot.

Fold Equity — The value gained from the chance that your opponent will fold to your bet. A key component of semi-bluffs.

Four of a Kind (Quads) — Four cards of the same rank. Beats a full house but loses to a straight flush.

Freeroll — (1) A tournament with no entry fee. (2) A situation where a player can win the pot but cannot lose (e.g., tied hands where one player has a flush draw).

Full House (Boat) — Three of a kind plus a pair. Beats a flush but loses to four of a kind.

G

Grinder — A player who earns a steady income from poker through disciplined, low-risk play rather than spectacular wins.

Gutshot — A straight draw needing one specific card in the middle. For example, holding 5-7 and needing a 6 to complete 4-5-6-7-8. Also called an “inside straight draw.”

H

Heads-Up — A pot or game involving just two players.

High Card — The weakest poker hand, determined by the highest card when no other combination is made.

Hole Cards — The private cards dealt face down to each player. In Hold’em, each player receives two hole cards.

I

Implied Odds — An extension of pot odds that considers the potential future bets you can win if you hit your draw. Particularly relevant for hidden draws.

In Position — Acting after your opponent in a betting round, giving you an informational advantage.

J

Jackpot — A bonus prize, sometimes offered in casinos, for extremely rare hands like losing with four of a kind or better (a “bad beat jackpot”).

K

Kicker — The unpaired card that breaks ties between hands of the same rank. If two players both have a pair of Aces, the player with the higher kicker wins.

L

Late Position — The seats that act last in a betting round: the cutoff and the button. The most profitable positions.

Limp — Calling the big blind rather than raising preflop. Generally considered a weak play.

Loose — A playing style that involves entering many pots. Opposite of tight.

M

Main Pot — When a player goes all-in and other players continue betting, the main pot is the amount the all-in player is eligible to win.

Muck — (1) To discard your hand without showing it. (2) The pile of discarded cards.

N

Nit — A very tight player who only plays premium hands and avoids risky situations.

No-Limit — A betting structure where a player can bet any amount up to their entire stack at any time.

Nuts — The best possible hand given the current board. Having “the nuts” means no one can beat you.

O

Offsuit — Two cards of different suits. “Ace-King offsuit” means an Ace and King of different suits.

Open — To make the first bet in a round. “She opened for $15.”

Outs — Cards remaining in the deck that will improve your hand to a likely winner.

Overcard — A card higher than any card on the board, or a hole card higher than the board.

Overpair — A pocket pair higher than any card on the board. Holding K-K when the board shows Q-8-3 is an overpair.

P

Pocket Pair — A pair made with your two hole cards. “Pocket Aces” means being dealt A-A.

Pocket Rockets — Slang for pocket Aces (A-A).

Position — Where a player sits relative to the dealer button. Determines the order of action.

Pot — The total chips wagered in a hand, which the winner collects.

Pot Odds — The ratio of the current pot size to the cost of a call. Used to determine whether a call is mathematically profitable.

Pot-Limit — A betting structure where the maximum bet is the current size of the pot.

R

Raise — Increasing the size of the current bet.

Rake — The commission taken by the casino from each pot or tournament entry fee.

Range — The set of all possible hands a player could have in a given situation.

Re-Raise (3-Bet) — Raising after someone has already raised. The initial raise is a 2-bet, the re-raise is a 3-bet, another raise is a 4-bet, etc.

River — The fifth and final community card dealt. Also called “fifth street.”

Royal Flush — A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit. The best possible hand in poker.

Runner-Runner — See “Backdoor.” Making a hand by hitting on both the turn and river.

S

Satellite — A smaller, cheaper tournament where the prize is entry into a larger tournament.

Semi-Bluff — Betting with a drawing hand that could improve to the best hand. Unlike a pure bluff, a semi-bluff has equity even if called.

Set — Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one board card. Stronger than “trips” because it’s better hidden.

Shove — Going all-in. “He shoved his entire stack.”

Showdown — When remaining players reveal their hands after the final betting round to determine the winner.

Side Pot — A separate pot created when a player goes all-in and other players continue to bet.

Slow Play — Playing a strong hand passively (checking/calling) to disguise its strength and trap opponents.

Small Blind (SB) — The smaller of two forced bets, posted by the player immediately to the left of the dealer button.

Straight — Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Beats three of a kind but loses to a flush.

Straight Flush — Five consecutive cards of the same suit. The second-best hand in poker.

Suited — Two cards of the same suit. “Ace-King suited” adds flush potential to an already strong hand.

T

Tell — A physical or behavioral clue that reveals information about a player’s hand.

Tight — A playing style that involves entering few pots and playing only strong hands.

Tilt — Playing poorly due to emotional frustration, usually after a bad beat or series of losses.

Trips — Three of a kind made with one hole card and two board cards. Weaker than a “set” because it’s more obvious.

Turn — The fourth community card dealt after the flop betting round. Also called “fourth street.”

U

Under the Gun (UTG) — The position directly to the left of the big blind, first to act preflop.

V

Value Bet — A bet made with a strong hand, designed to be called by weaker hands. The goal is to extract maximum chips.

Variance — The statistical ups and downs inherent in poker. Even skilled players experience losing streaks due to variance.

W

Whale — A very wealthy but often unskilled player who plays at high stakes. The opposite of a “shark.”

WSOP — The World Series of Poker, the most prestigious annual poker event series, held in Las Vegas.

Knowing the language of poker is the first step to mastering the game. Play poker for free on Rare Pike and put these terms into practice.