ALIAS: The nickname you will play under, or be known in an online poker environment
ACTION: A fold, check, call, bet, or raise. Any move that takes place during the hand
ACTIVE PLAYER: A player still involved in a hand.
ALL-IN: Putting all your money into the pot
ANTE: A pre-determined number of chips put into the pot at the start of a hand by all players.
BURN CARD: After the initial round of cards dealt, the first card on the deck in each round is taken off and placed away from the game – it does not form part of the community cards. This card is called the burn card.
BAD BEAT: When you are a statistical favorite in a poker hand and your opponent beats you. An example of this would be when pocket aces, considered the best starting hand in the game, is beaten by another hand. Statistically, this should not happen.
BET: The act of placing a wager into the pot on any betting round - the chips put into the pot on your turn.
BIG BLIND: A forced bet two places to the left of the dealer. This is usually double the size of the small blind
BLIND: A required bet made before any cards are dealt to get the game going.
BLUFF: A bet or raise when your hand is unlikely to beat the other players. This is usually used as strategy to confuse other players about your game play.
BOARD: The community cards, the cards shared by the players
BUTTON: A player who would normally be the dealer in the round. The person to the left of the dealer button will get dealt to first in the round. See dealer button.
BUY-IN: The amount of money you pay to play a game of poker.
CALL: To put the same amount of money into the pot as the bets before you
CHECK: If no one has put chips into the pot before you, you do not have to either.
CHIP UP: A request to change the chips from one denomination – usually a lower denomination - to another higher denomination.
COMMUNITY CARDS: The cards dealt face up in the center of the table. These can be used by all players to form their best hand in conjunction with their hole cards.
CUTTING CARD: The card at the bottom of the deck to cover the denominations of the cards when the dealer is dealing the hand
DEAD CARD: A card that is not legally playable.
DEAL: To give each player cards, or put cards on the board.
DEALER: The person who deals the cards starting to his or her left.
DEALER BUTTON: A flat disk that indicates the player who would normally be in the dealing position for that hand (if there were not a house dealer).
DECK: A set of playing-cards. In Texas Hold’em the deck consists of 52 cards.
FOLD: To throw a hand away and forfeit all interest in the pot.
FACECARD: A king, queen, or jack.
THE FLOP: The first three community cards that are placed in the middle of the table, face up, for all players to use.
FLASHED CARD: A card that has been partially exposed during play.
FOURTH STREET: The first card and the board after the flop (also called the turn).
FIFTH STREET: The fifth and final community card (also called the river)
FOULED HAND: A hand that is not legally allowed to be played.
FORCED BET: A required bet to start the action on the first betting round.
FREEROLL: A free entry into a tournament where prizes are up for grabs.
HAND: (1) All a player’s personal cards.
(2) The five cards determining the poker ranking.
(3) A single poker deal.
HEADS-UP PLAY: Two players facing off against each other.
HOLE CARD: The players’ own cards that are dealt facedown to them.
KICKER: The highest unpaired card that helps determine the value of a five-card poker hand.
MISCALL: An incorrect verbal declaration of the ranking of a hand.
MISDEAL: A mistake on the dealing of a hand which causes the cards to be reshuffled and a new hand to be dealt.
MUCK: (1) The pile of cards that have been discarded by players that are gathered
facedown in the center of the table by the dealer.
(2) To fold the hand.
NO-LIMIT: There is no limit to the number of chips players are allowed bet or raise with.
NUTS: The best possible hand a player could have. When a player has the nuts, no other player can beat their hand.
OFFSUIT: Cards with different suits.
OUTS: The cards that will allow a player to win the hand.
OVERCARD: A hole card that is higher than any other card on the board.
POT: The total number of chips every player in the hand has put into the centre of the table. The pot goes to the winner.
POT ODDS: The amount of money that is in the pot compared to the amount of money the player has put in to stay in the game.
PLAY THE BOARD: Using all five community cards for your hand in Hold’em.
PROTECTED HAND: The cards that the player is physically holding, or has topped with a chip or some other object to protect them and keep them from being fouled.
PUSH: When a new dealer replaces an existing dealer at a particular table.
RACK: A container in which chips are stored while being transported.
RAGS : Cards generally not worth playing. Bad cards.
RAISE: To increase the amount of a previous bet.
RERAISE: To raise another player’s raise.
RIVER CARD: The fifth and last community card dealt in the middle of the poker table, face up.
SCRAMBLE: To mix the cards facedown
SIDE POT: A separate pot formed when one or more players are all in. At least two or more players are left betting above the all-in bet.
SHOWDOWN: The final act of determining the winner of the pot after all betting has been completed.
SHUFFLE: The act of mixing the cards before a hand.
SMALL BLIND: The forced bet directly to the left of the dealer. This blind is half the size of the big blind.
SPLIT POT: A pot that is divided among players, either because of a tie for the best hand or by agreement prior to the showdown.
STACK: Chips in front of a player.
SUITED: Cards that are of the same suit.
TOP PAIR : Pairing the highest card on the board.
TOURNAMENT: A poker competition, usually with an entry fee and prizes.
TURNCARD: The fourth community card dealt facedown on the board.
UNDER THE GUN: The first person to act directly to the left of the big blind.
WAGER: To bet or raise.
WEAK : A player who folds too many hands.