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Poker, like so many other pastimes and professions, has developed
its own terminology. This guide includes common poker
terms.
All-in - If you run out of chips during
a hand, but don't wish to fold, you are All-in. This
means
you have the potential
to win a share of the pot up to and including your last
contribution to that pot. You cannot share in any bets
added beyond that point. These bets form a side-pot.
Away-from-table - In tournaments, you may not "sit
out". Rather, you may be "away-from-table" which
means you are dealt into every hand, posting blinds
when it's your turn, and then folded when there is
a raise before
the flop, or a bet after the flop. When you are in
a tournament and need to leave, time-out, you
are automatically marked as "away-from-table".
Bad Beat - This term refers to a heavy
favourite in a hand who loses to an opponent who was
a severe
underdog statistically
speaking.
Bet the Pot - This term is used in pot limit games.
It means your bet matches the current amount in
the pot.
If, when your turn to bet, the pot was at £217,
and you bet
the pot, your bet is £217.
Big Blind (limit poker) - In games using a blind
to put money in play, the big blind is generally
equal
to the
lower amount of the stakes for that game. In
a £5/£10 game, the big blind is £5. The big blind
follows
the small blind,
which is put up by the first player to the left
of the dealer.
Blind - This term refers to the required bets,
called the small blind and the big blind used
to put money
into play.
The blinds are mandatory bets and rotate around
the table.
Board - The community cards in Hold'em are
collectively known as the board.
Burn - In physical poker rooms, the top card
of the deck is discarded prior to each
round of dealing.
The intent
is to minimize the risk of cheating by
knowing the
next card.
Buy-in - The amount of money you sit down
in a game with.
Call - When a player matches the prior
bet on the table, that action is termed
the call.
Cap - The last permitted raise in a
betting round is called the cap.
Check - If there is no bet on the
table and you do not wish to place
a bet,
that action
is termed
a
check. You
may only check when there are no
prior bets.
Collusion - A form of cheating
where two or more players attempt
to gain
an unfair
advantage
by
sharing information.
Community Cards - Face up cards
on the table that are shared
by all
players are termed
community cards. Texas
Hold'em
and Omaha always have community
cards.
Dead Blind - In a situation
where you have missed your
blinds and
wish to
re-enter the game before
your turn
to post the big blind. You
must post both
blinds and the small
blind is termed a dead blind,
meaning it does not count
towards calling
a bet.
Dead Hand - A hand no longer
in the game.
Down Cards - The face-down
cards dealt to a player,
also termed
hole cards.
Drawing Dead - This describes
the situation when
a player is trying
to draw a card
to complete a hand
when there is already a hand
that will
beat it, even if made.
Drop - To drop your
hand when you decide
not to
go further
with your
hand; to
return your
cards
to the
muck. Same
as fold.
Face Down - Dealt
cards that are
not visible
to other
players.
Face Up - Dealt
cards that are
visible
to all players.
Flop - In Texas
Hold'em, the
set of 3 face-up
community cards
or the first
three cards
on the board,
all
dealt at the
same time.
Flush - Any
5 cards in
one
hand that
are all
the same
suit.
Fold - Withdraw
from further
participation
in the
current hand.
Forced
Bet -
A mandatory
bet.
In certain
games,
a
player
is required
to bet,
having
sat-in
the game.
Four
of
a Kind - A
great
hand
...
all
4 of
one
rank. For
example,
4
Tens.
Freeroll -
This term
applies
to
poker
tournaments
where
the
entry
fee,
the
stakes,
or
both
the
entry
fee
and
stakes
are
waived.
In
some
non-freeroll
tournaments,
the
house
may
guarantee
a
minimum prize
pool.
Full
House -
A hand
in which
you have
a combination
of 3
of a
kind, and
a pair.
Hand - A
set of
cards used
by a
player during
a single
round. Another
word for
a single
round of
shuffling, dealing,
and betting.
Heads
Up -
A game
where only
two players
remain in
contention for
the pot.
Head
to Head - A
game where
only two
players may
participate.
High
Card -
The card
with the
highest rank.
High/Low - A
variation of
a game
where the
pot is
split between
the best
hand and
the worst
hand. The
worst hand
is comprised
of the
5 lowest
cards. Most
poker rooms
consider 5,
4, 3,
2, A
(the wheel)
as the
lowest possible
hand, despite
it also
being a
straight.
Hold'em - Also
called Texas
Hold'em. One
of the
most popular
poker games.
Each player
gets 2
down cards
and can
use 3,
4, or
5 of
the community
cards.
Hole
Cards -
The down
cards in
a player's
hand.
Inside
Straight -
The term
applied
when
a player
has 4
of 5
cards needed
for a
straight
with
the missing
card being
inside
the
sequence
rather
than at
either
end,
and gets
the missing
card. For
example,
a
player
holding
3, 4,
5, 7
needs a
6 to
complete
the
straight.
Getting
that 6
is termed "making the inside straight."
Jackpot - A
bonus
opportunity
to win
under specific
circumstances
set
by the
poker
room.
Kicker -
The
term
for
the
card
used
to
break
ties
between
two
of a
kind
or
between
Two
Pair.
Live
Blind -
A
blind
that
counts
towards
any
bet
you
call
or
raise.
Main
Pot -
The
initial
pot
of
money.
When
one
or
more
players
go
all-in,
a
side
pot
is
created
for
each
all-in
player.
Muck -
As
a
noun,
this
refers to
the
pile
of
folded
cards
and
discarded
cards.
As
a
verb,
at
showdown
time,
the
act
of
returning
a
losing
hand
to
the
dealer
facedown.
Multi-Table
Tournament -
A
tournament
where
players
at
more
than
one
table
compete,
starting
with
equal
numbers
of
chips,
until
one
player
has
won
all
the
chips.
Prize
payouts
are
a
function
of
the
number
of
entrants,
and
are
posted
on
the
tournaments
page.
Multi-table
tournaments
have
a
posted
start
time,
and
require
registration
in
advance.
No
Limit -
A
variation
of
the
betting
rules
in
which
each
bet
is
unlimited
up
to
the
number
of
chips
a
player
has
on
the
table
(NL).
Omaha -
A
game
in
which
each
player
receives
4
facedown
cards
and
shares
5
community
cards.
The
winning
hand
must
use
exactly
2
down
cards
and
3
community
cards.
This
game
also
has
a
High/Low
variant.
Omaha
High/Low -
This
game
allows
players
to
compete
for
a
pot
split
between
the
highest
and
the
lowest
hands
using
2
down
cards
and
3
community
cards.
A
player
may
use
different
sets
of
cards
to
make
up
the
best
high
and
the
best low
hands.
On
the
button -
This
term
means
you
are
in
the
dealer
position
in Texas
Hold'em
and
Omaha
games.
Pair -
This
is
a
hand
where
the
player's
best
hand
is
made
up
of
2
cards
of
the
same rank.
Pass -
Can
be
used
in
place
of
either
check
or
fold
depending
on the
context.
Playing
the
Board -
Using
all
the
community
cards
in
Hold'em
as
your
best hand.
Pocket
Cards -
The
term
for
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