Poker Glossary

Action: A player's turn to act, or the betting activity in a hand. "The action is on you" means it is your turn.

All in: Having put all of one's chips into the pot. An all-in player cannot be forced out of the hand and may win only as much from each opponent as they contributed. See betting structures.

Ante: A small forced contribution to the pot made before the deal. Antes are dead money and do not count toward a player's bet.

Badugi: A four-card lowball draw game in which the best hand is four cards of different ranks and suits. See Badugi rules.

Bet: The first wager on a betting round.

Big bet: In fixed-limit, the larger of the two bet sizes, used on the later betting rounds.

Big blind: The larger of the two blinds, posted by the player two seats to the left of the button. It normally sets the minimum bet.

Big blind ante: A single ante paid by the big blind on behalf of the whole table, common in tournaments.

Blind: A forced bet posted before the cards are dealt by one or more players in rotation. Blinds are live bets.

Blinded out: Eliminated from a tournament by posting blinds and antes while absent or without playing a hand.

Bluff: A bet or raise with a hand that is unlikely to win if called, made to induce better hands to fold.

Board: The community cards in a flop game, or the face-up cards in a stud hand.

Bring-in: A forced opening bet in stud games, paid by the player with the lowest upcard (the highest in Razz).

Broadway: The ace-high straight, 10-J-Q-K-A.

Bubble: The last finishing position in a tournament that does not receive a prize.

Burn card: The top card of the deck, discarded face down before community cards or new cards are dealt.

Button: The disc marking the nominal dealer position. It determines who posts the blinds and the order of betting.

Buy-in: The amount paid to enter a tournament, or the chips a player buys when joining a cash game.

Call: To match the current bet.

Cap: The maximum number of raises allowed on a betting round in fixed-limit, usually one bet and three raises.

Cash game: A game played for chips with direct money value, in which players may join or leave at any time. Also called a ring game.

Check: To decline to bet while keeping the right to act later in the round. Only allowed when no bet has been made on the current round.

Check-raise: Checking, then raising after an opponent bets on the same round. It is permitted in almost all modern cardroom games.

Chip race: The procedure for removing low-denomination chips from a tournament, using cards to award odd chips.

Chop: To split a pot. Also, an agreement by the blinds to take back their blinds when everyone else folds, where the venue allows it.

Clock: A time limit imposed on a player who is taking too long to act. Any player may ask the floor to call the clock.

Colour up: To exchange smaller chips for chips of a higher denomination.

Community cards: Cards dealt face up in the centre of the table and shared by all players, as in Texas Hold'em and Omaha.

Complete: To raise a bring-in or short all-in bet up to a full bet. In stud, completing the bring-in is not counted as a raise.

Counterfeit: When a board card duplicates a player's key card and so devalues their hand, common in low hands in Omaha Hi-Lo.

Cutoff: The seat directly to the right of the button.

Dead button: The tournament method of moving the blinds, under which the button may sit in front of an empty seat. See tournament rules.

Dead hand: A hand that is no longer eligible to win the pot, for example because it was fouled or has the wrong number of cards.

Dead money: Chips in the pot that do not belong to any active player's current bet, such as antes and folded bets.

Deuce: A 2.

Deuce-to-seven: A lowball system in which aces are high and straights and flushes count against the hand. The best hand is 7-5-4-3-2. See 2-7 rules.

Door card: In stud, a player's first upcard, dealt on third street.

Draw: To exchange cards in a draw game. Also, an incomplete hand that needs further cards to improve, such as a flush draw.

Draw game: A game in which each player receives a complete private hand and may replace cards, such as Five Card Draw.

Drawing dead: Being in a position where no remaining card can make a player's hand the winner.

Early position: Seats that act first in a betting round, immediately left of the blinds.

Eight-or-better: The qualifier in hi-lo games: a low hand must have five unpaired cards of 8 or lower. See Stud Hi-Lo.

Exposed card: A card that has been seen, whether through a dealer error or a player's action. Its effect depends on the game and the stage of the deal.

Fifth street: In stud, the third upcard and the round of betting that follows; the point at which the big bet applies. In flop games, another name for the river.

Fixed-limit: A betting structure in which every bet and raise is a set amount. See betting structures.

Flop: The first three community cards, dealt together face up.

Floor: The cardroom supervisor who makes rulings on disputes.

Flush: Five cards of the same suit. See hand rankings.

Fold: To give up a hand and any claim to the pot.

Forced bet: Any compulsory bet: a blind, ante or bring-in.

Fouled hand: A hand that is dead because of an irregularity, such as the wrong number of cards or an arrangement error in Chinese Poker.

Four of a kind: Four cards of the same rank. Also called quads.

Fourth street: In stud, the second upcard and its betting round. In flop games, another name for the turn.

Full house: Three cards of one rank and two of another.

Hand-for-hand: Tournament play near the bubble in which every table completes each hand before the next is dealt.

Heads-up: Play between only two players.

Hi-lo: A split-pot game in which the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand share the pot, such as Omaha Hi-Lo.

Hole cards: A player's private, face-down cards.

HORSE: A mixed game rotating Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Stud and Stud Hi-Lo (Eight-or-better). See mixed games.

ICM: The independent chip model: a method of converting tournament chip counts into prize equity, often used in deal-making.

Kicker: An unpaired side card used to break a tie between hands of the same rank.

Late position: Seats that act last in a betting round, such as the cutoff and the button.

Limp: To call the big blind before the flop rather than raise.

Live blind: A blind that counts as part of the player's bet and gives them the option to raise when action returns to them.

Lowball: Any game in which the lowest hand wins, such as Razz and Deuce-to-Seven.

Main pot: The pot that all players still in the hand, including any all-in player, are eligible to win.

Miscall: An incorrect verbal declaration of a hand at showdown. The cards speak, so a miscall does not change the result, though deliberate miscalling is a breach of conduct.

Misdeal: A deal that is cancelled because of an irregularity, after which the cards are reshuffled and redealt.

Missed blind: A blind that a player did not post while away from the table in a cash game, which must be made up on return.

Mixed game: A format that rotates between two or more games. See mixed games.

Muck: The pile of discarded and folded cards. Also, to discard a hand without showing it.

No-limit: A betting structure in which a player may bet all their chips at any time.

Nuts: The best possible hand given the cards on the board.

Option: The right of the big blind (or a straddler) to raise when the pot has only been called.

Out: A card that would improve a hand to the likely winner.

Oversized chip: A single chip larger than the amount needed to call. Put in without a declaration, it is only a call.

Play the board: To use all five community cards as one's hand.

Position: A player's place in the order of betting. Acting later is an advantage.

Post: To put a blind or other forced bet into the pot.

Pot: The chips wagered in a hand, won by the best hand or the last remaining player.

Pot-limit: A betting structure in which the maximum bet or raise is the size of the pot. The standard structure for Omaha.

Quads: Four of a kind.

Rabbit hunt: Dealing out the cards that would have come after a hand has ended. Not permitted in most cardrooms.

Rainbow: A flop or board with no two cards of the same suit.

Raise: To increase the current bet on a round.

Rake: The fee taken by the house from each pot in a cash game.

Razz: Seven Card Stud played for low, using ace-to-five rankings. See Razz rules.

Re-entry: Buying into a tournament again after being eliminated, where the event permits.

River: The fifth and final community card in flop games, and the last betting round. In stud, seventh street.

Royal flush: A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit; the best hand in standard poker.

Scoop: To win both halves of a split pot.

Set: Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one matching board card.

Short Deck: Hold'em played with a 36-card deck, the 2s to 5s removed. See Short Deck rules.

Showdown: The showing of hands after the final betting round to decide the winner.

Side pot: A separate pot formed from bets that an all-in player cannot match. Only players who contributed to it may win it.

Small bet: In fixed-limit, the smaller bet size, used on the early betting rounds.

Small blind: The smaller blind, posted by the player directly to the left of the button.

Splash the pot: To throw chips into the pot rather than placing them in front of oneself. It is prohibited because the amount cannot be verified.

Split pot: A pot divided between two or more players, either because of a tie or because it is a hi-lo game.

Spread limit: A betting structure permitting any bet within a stated range.

Stack: The chips a player has in front of them.

Straddle: A voluntary blind raise, usually twice the big blind, posted before the deal. Not permitted in most tournaments.

Straight: Five cards in sequence of mixed suits.

Straight flush: Five cards in sequence, all of the same suit.

Street: A stage of the deal and its betting round, such as third street in stud.

String bet: Putting chips into the pot in more than one motion without first declaring the amount. Only the first amount stands.

Stud: A game in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards with no community cards, such as Seven Card Stud and Five Card Stud.

Suited: Of the same suit, as in suited hole cards.

Table stakes: The rule that a player may wager only the chips on the table at the start of the hand.

Third street: In stud, the first betting round, after two down cards and one upcard are dealt.

Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank. Also called trips, or a set when made with a pocket pair.

Triple draw: A draw game with three draws and four betting rounds, such as 2-7 Triple Draw.

Trips: Three of a kind, particularly one made with a pair on the board.

Turn: The fourth community card in flop games, and the betting round that follows.

Two pair: Two cards of one rank, two of another, and a kicker.

Under the gun: The first player to act before the flop, directly to the left of the big blind.

Upcard: In stud, a card dealt face up.

Verbal declaration: A spoken statement of action. Made in turn, it is binding.

Wheel: The hand A-2-3-4-5: the lowest straight in high poker and the best hand in ace-to-five lowball.

Wild card: A card, such as a joker, that may represent any card. Not used in standard cardroom poker.