Poker Terms and Glossary

Learn the meaning of poker terms in our poker dictionary.

A

Action -Another term for “betting,” that is, to start the action is to start the betting.

Ante - A small sum of money, placed in the pot by each player. Antes are used in Stud and Draw, but not in Hold’em or Omaha.

Ace-High - A hand that has no special card rankings (pairs, full house etc.) and the highest card is an ace.

Aces Full – A hand with 3 aces and a pair of any other value.

Aces Up – A hand that contains two pairs: one pair of aces and another pair of any other value.

Active Player – A player who is in the pot.

All-In – When a player bets all his or her chips.

All-in Over the Top – Raising with all of your chips after an opponent’s bet.

B

Big Blind – A bet that must be posted by the player two seats to the left of the button. It is equal to the amount of the smaller betting limit in a game, for example, in a 10-20 game, the big blind would be €10.

Blind – Forced bets placed in the pot by the first two players in front of the dealer button, in Hold’em and Omaha. See “small blind” and “big blind.”

Bluff – To bet when you hold a weak hand, hoping that the intimidation factor of your bet can win the hand.

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.

Back Into a Hand – To draw cards that make a hand that is different from the hand you were originally trying to make.

Back-door Straight – When you have three cards that would support a straight, but you need the turn and river to make a straight.

Back-door Flush – When you have three cards that would support a flush, but you need the turn and river to make a flush.

Bad Beat – When a lucky hand beats a strong hand.

Bankroll – The amount of money that a player has to wager for the duration of his or her poker career.

Battle of the Blinds – When everyone folds to the players who have forced bets.

Behind – When your hand is not the best hand before all the cards have been dealt.

Bet – To put money in the pot of your own free will.

Bet For Value – When you bet in order to increase the pot size, not to make your opponents fold.

Bet The Pot – To make a bet that is the size of the pot.

Big Blind – The forced bet that is made by the person sitting two seats to the left of the button. This is the largest forced bet. In World Poker Tour (tournament play) this amount increases after each timed round.

Big ‘dog – An underdog. The person who has a very low chance of winning.

Big Slick – Poker slang for A, K; a very strong starting hand.

C

Call: To match a bet that has been made.

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 casino poker games; in some home games, they are frowned upon.

D

Dead man’s hand – Two pairs of Aces and Eights. Legend states that Wild Bill Hickok was shot dead with these cards in his hand.

Dolly Parton – Hole cards of 9 and 5, named after her movie ‘Nine to Five’. Doyle Brunson – Hole cards of 10 and 2, made famous by poker legend Doyle Brunson, who won the WSOP twice with these cards.

Ducks – A pair of 2’s

F

Fifth Street – The fifth community card in Hold’em or Omaha (in these games, 5th street is more often called “the river.”). Also sometimes used to refer to the fifth card received in 7 Card Stud.

The fifth community card in Hold’em or Omaha (in these games, 5th street is more often called “the river.”). Also sometimes used to refer to the fifth card received in 7 Card Stud.

Flop – In Hold’em or Omaha, the first three community cards, turned up all at once.

Fold – To drop out of a hand.

Fourth Street – The fourth community card in Hold’em or Omaha (in these games, 4th street is more often called “the turn.”). Also sometimes used to refer to the fourth card received in 7 Card Stud.

H

Hole cards – Cards that are face down and cannot be seen by the other players.

K

Kicker - Two meanings.

1) A single card kept along with a pair, in Draw, in an attempt to make two pair. For example, someone might keep 3-3-K, drawing two cards, in the hope that he might get either a three (for trips) or a King (making two pair, Kings-up).

2) The highest single card held by two players in Hold’em who each hold the same pair. For example, if the board in Hold’em is A-10-8-5-2, and Player One holds A-J as his hand, and Player Two holds A-Q, each player has a pair of Aces, but Player Two has a better kicker and would win the hand.

N

Narrowing the Field – To bet or raise in the hopes that you will drive out some players whose hands are currently worse than yours, but who might improve if allowed to stay in.

The Nuts – 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.

P

Pot – The money in the center of the table, being contested by the players still remaining in the hand.

R

Rake – The amount of money the casino takes from the pot to make money from the poker game. In low limit games, the casino usually rakes some percentage of the pot, usually a maximum of 10% of the pot. In higher limit games, the casino makes money either by charging players an hourly fee to play, or by collecting a fee each time a player holds the button.

River – In Hold’em or Omaha, the fifth and final community card. Also sometimes called fifth street.

Rock – A player known to be very conservative, who usually bets or raises only when he has a very powerful hand.