Poker Glossary of Terms & Definitions

A

Action

The players turn to make a move: bet, raise, check or fold.

All-in

When a player wages their entire bankroll in one bet.

Angle

Unethical manipulation of the rules to try and gain unfair advantage, but often just legal enough.

Ante

This is a forced bet required by all players before the game of poker begins.

Any two cards

An expression used in Texas hold’em to say that a player’s cards do not matter in a situation.

B

Backdoor

This refers to a draw which requires two or more rounds to fill.

Backraise

This is a re-raise made by a player who just called in the same round.

Bankroll

Refers to the total amount of money a player has with them to play.

Bankroll management

Purposely taking smaller or more controlled bets to ensure bankroll doesn’t run out.

Bet

Placing a wager.

Big Blind

The person next to the small blind pays mandatory big blind payment pre-flop.

Blind

To play without looking at one’s cards.

Bluff

Pretending to have a better hand than one actually has in order to scare off other players into folding.

Buy-in

The initial amount of money required to join the game of poker.

C

Call

To ‘call’ means that you wish to continue with the current round/game and will match the bet previously set.

Cap

The limit on the number of raises allowed per round, which is typically three or four.

Case card

The last available card of a certain type, for example the last ace.

Check

This means to place no additional bet and pass on to the player to your left.

Check-raise

A cunning strategy to at first check and then raise when another player raises.

Community cards

Part of constructing a player’s hand, typically placed in the middle of the table. They can be used by anyone.

D

Dark

Taking an action without seeing the cards prior.

Dealer

The person who deals the cards.

Double up

To go all in against a single player and win, doubling your stack of chips.

Draw

Where a player will have a chance to improve their hand considerably if they receive certain cards. E.g., a ‘flush draw’

Ducks

The slang term for a pocket of twos.

E

Early Position

The first two/three seats at a table.

Equity

The likelihood of a certain hand winning at a showdown.

Expectation

How valuable a certain hand is based on its likelihood of winning.

Expected Value

Used interchangeably with ‘expectation’.

F

Face card

Any card which shows a character on it e.g., king, queen and jack.

Favourite

The most likely to win based on their cards.

Fish

Slang for a weak player at the table.

Flat

Poker slang for ‘call’

Flop

The second betting round in community cards where three cards are dealt face up to the table.

Flush

This is a hand which is comprised of all the same suit.

Fold

To withdraw from further betting and concede your hand.

Full house

This is a hand comprising of three of a kind and a pair.

G

Gutshot

Refers to an ‘inside straight draw’. This is a hand with four of the five cards needed for a straight.

H

Hand

The five cards a player has to play with.

Heads up

Playing against one other player for money.

High card

With no other combinations available in a hand, the highest value card.

Hold’em

The most popular form of poker.

House

The casino that runs the game.

I

Implied odds

To speculate on the odds of a winning hand with a future card to try and value the pot based on players future calls. As the name suggests this is simply implied and not concrete.

Inside straight draw

This is a hand with four of five cards needed for a straight.

Insurance

Where players agree to split or reduce the pot to minimise their losses.

J

Jackpot

A large pool of money collected by the house typically paid out for rare occurrences such as a bad beat – where a player with an extremely strong hand gets beaten.

Joker

The extra card in a deck which is typically not involved in poker.

K

Kicker

When it comes to a showdown, if you and an opponent have hands of equal strength, the ‘kicker’ will determine the winner, which is the best spare card.

L

Lag

Slang for a player who is ‘loose aggressive’ due to starting many hands aggressively.

Lead

The player who makes the last bet or raise in a betting round. They are said to have the lead at the start of the next round.

Limit

The maximum or minimum betting amount.

Limp

The slang word for calling instead of raising.

M

Muck

The muck comprises of all the discarded cards, and a player’s cards are added to this if they fold.

N

No-limit

As the name suggests, this is where players are able to bet as much as they wish with no limit.

Nut hand

Slang for the best possible hand. For example, “This hand is nuts, I can’t lose.”

O

Offsuit

When there is no correlation between suits, often in the opening stages of the game.

Omaha

A popular variant of poker, where community cards are heavily utilized.

Open-raise

The name for the first raise of the first betting round, as the name would suggest.

P

Pair

Two cards of the same rank.

Paint

Any cards between a jack and an ace, also known as ‘face cards’, see above.

Pocket pair

When a player has a starting hand with a pair.

Post flop

Everything from the second betting round onwards is considered post flop.

Pot

The pile of chips in the middle of the table where bets are wagered, the winner of the hand takes all.

Pre-flop

This refers to any round prior to round two (aka the first betting round).

Q

Quads

Quads is four of any kind, the third highest possible hand.

R

Rainbow

Starting hand with every card being a different suit.

Raise

To increase the size of your bet, and anyone else’s who wants to stay in.

Rake

The small amount of money taken by the dealer each game in exchange for running the game.

Rank

This simply refers to the value of any given card.

Re-raise

To raise when someone has already raised on that round of betting.

River

The term for the final betting round.

Royal flush

The best possible hand in poker: ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the same suit.

S

Sandbagging

A form of reverse-bluffing where a player makes passive moves like checking while having a strong hand.

Set

Three of a kind, with a pocket pair.

Sequence

This simply means the order of the cards.

Short handed

A term for a poker table with less than six players.

Shove

Slang for going all in.

Sizing

As the name suggests, this refers to the size of the bet.

Small blind

The position to the right of the button with the smaller of the two blind bets.

Squeeze

A form of raising where there has already been a bet and a call on the current betting round.

Straight

A hand with five cards in ranked order. E.g. 2,3,4,5,6.

Straight flush

A straight with all of the same suit, the second strongest hand in poker.

Suited

A starting hand with two or more cards of the same suit.

T

Tell

An unconscious give-away as to what type of hand an opponent is holding.

Three of a kind

Three cards of identical rank and two kickers.

Two pair

You’ll never guess this one – two sets of pairs and a kicker.

U

Under the gun

Refers to the player who must act first in the betting round.

Up the ante

Slang for upping the stakes or increasing the betting amount.

V

Vulnerable

A hand is ‘vulnerable’ if it risks being outdrawn.

W

Weak ace

An ace with a lower kicker.

Whale

A bad poker player – typically at a high stakes game.