Reference
Poker glossary
The poker words you'll hear at the table, explained in plain English — from the rules to strategy. New to the game? Start with the beginner's guide.
A
- Action
- Your turn to act, or betting activity in general — 'the action is on you'.
- All-in
- Betting every chip you have left. You can't be forced out, but you can only win as much as you put in from each opponent.
- Ante
- A small forced bet every player posts before the hand, on top of the blinds, to build the pot and push the action.
B
- Backdoor
- A draw that needs both the turn and the river to complete — for example a 'backdoor flush'.
- Bad beat
- Losing a hand you were a strong favourite to win.
- Bankroll
- The total money you've set aside for poker, kept separate from everyday cash.
- Big blind
- The larger of the two forced bets, posted two seats left of the button. The standard unit for measuring stack sizes.
- Blind
- A forced bet posted before the cards are dealt — the small blind and the big blind.
- Bluff
- Betting or raising with a weak hand to make a better one fold.
- Board
- The community cards shared by everyone — the flop, turn and river.
- Button
- The dealer position, marked by a disc, that moves one seat clockwise each hand. Acting last, it's the best seat at the table.
- Buy-in
- The amount you pay to enter a tournament or to sit down in a cash game.
C
- Call
- Matching the current bet to stay in the hand.
- Check
- Passing the action without betting — only possible if no one has bet before you.
- Chip leader
- The player with the most chips at a given moment.
- Community cards
- The five shared cards dealt face up that every player can use.
- Connector
- Two cards in sequence, like 8-7. 'Suited connectors' share a suit and can make straights and flushes.
D
- Dealer
- The player on the button, or the person physically dealing. The button marks the dealer's position.
- Donk bet
- Betting into the player who was the aggressor on the previous street, out of position.
- Drawing dead
- Holding a hand that can no longer win no matter which cards come.
F
- Flop
- The first three community cards, dealt face up together.
- Fold
- Giving up your hand and any claim to the pot.
- Freeroll
- A tournament with no buy-in, or a spot where you can't lose but might win more.
G
- Gutshot
- An inside straight draw — needing one specific rank in the middle, e.g. holding 9-7 and needing an 8. Four outs.
H
- Heads-up
- A pot, or a whole game, played between just two players.
- Hole cards
- Your two private cards, dealt face down.
K
- Kicker
- A side card that breaks ties between otherwise equal hands.
L
- Limp
- Entering a pot by just calling the big blind rather than raising — usually a beginner leak.
M
- Muck
- To fold without showing, or the pile of discarded cards.
N
- No-limit
- A betting format where you can bet any amount up to all your chips at any time.
- Nuts
- The best possible hand given the board.
O
- Offsuit
- Two cards of different suits, e.g. A-K offsuit.
- Outs
- The cards left in the deck that would improve your hand to a likely winner.
P
- Pocket pair
- Two hole cards of the same rank, e.g. pocket eights.
- Position
- Where you sit relative to the button. Acting later (in position) is a major advantage.
- Pot
- The total chips bet in a hand, won at showdown or by the last player standing.
- Pot odds
- The ratio of the current pot to the cost of a call — used to decide whether chasing a draw is worth it.
- Preflop
- The first betting round, before any community cards are dealt.
R
- Rainbow
- A flop of three different suits, so no flush draw is possible yet.
- Raise
- Increasing the current bet, putting opponents to a tougher decision.
- Rake
- A small cut the house takes from each pot in a cash game. Home games are normally rake-free.
- River
- The fifth and final community card, followed by the last betting round.
- Rock
- A very tight, cautious player who only plays premium hands.
S
- Satellite
- A small tournament whose prize is a seat in a bigger one.
- Set
- Three of a kind made with a pocket pair plus one matching board card.
- Showdown
- The reveal at the end of a hand, where the remaining players show their cards and the best hand wins.
- Side pot
- A separate pot formed when a player is all-in for less than the others, who keep betting.
- Small blind
- The smaller forced bet, posted by the player directly left of the button.
- Suited
- Two cards of the same suit.
T
- Tell
- An unconscious physical or betting habit that gives away the strength of a hand.
- Tilt
- Playing emotionally and badly, usually after a bad beat or frustration.
- Trips
- Three of a kind made with one hole card and a pair on the board.
- Turn
- The fourth community card, followed by a betting round.
U
- Under the gun
- The seat directly left of the big blind, first to act preflop — the toughest position.
V
- Value bet
- A bet made to get called by a worse hand, rather than to bluff.
W
- Wheel
- The lowest straight, 5-4-3-2-A, where the ace plays low.