Common Poker Terms

Action: Getting in on the "Action". Action represents the act of betting, raising or playing in a money game in general.

Ante: Small portion of a bet placed by each player into the pot at the beginning of a poker hand.

All-In: In a stakes poker game it is the act of betting all your chips on a particular hand.

Backdoor: Lucky enough to catch both the turn card and the river card to make a drawing hand in poker.

Bad Beat: When a large underdog hand beats a heavily favored hand.

Blind: A forced bet put up by one or more players before any cards are dealt in a poker hand.

Board: The community cards in a game of holdem poker.

Bottom Pair: A pair with the lowest card on the flop in a game of Texas Holdem.

Burn: When the dealer discards the top card of the deck face down. This is typically done between each betting round before pulling out the community cards.

Button: A small disc shape object that signifies the dealer in any given poker hand.

Cap: Putting in the last raise permitted on any betting round of poker.

Center Pot: First pot created during a poker hand. Also known as the "main pot".

Check: A zero bet with the option to rise later in the betting round.

Check Raise: To check and then rise when the person behind you bets.

Cripple: When you hold most or all of the cards associated with the current board. You have crippled the deck!

Dog: Short term form for "underdog".

Dead Draw: If you are looking to draw a card to complete a hand that is already beaten at the table.

Flop: The first three community cards in a poker game.

Free Roll: When one player has a shot at winning the entire pot even though he is tied with another player at the table.

Hit: When a flop is favorable to a players hand.

House: The establishment that is running the game.

Kicker: An unpaired card used to determine the better of two near-equivalent hands.

Muck: The pile of folded or burned cards in front of the dealer. Folded hands not seen by the rest of the players at the table.

No-Limit: When a player may bet any or all of his chips. There is no predetermined raise limit.

Over Call: To call a bet after one or more players has already called the bet.

Pocket: Your unique cards in a poker game that only you are privy to.

Post: A blind bet you are forced to post at the beginning of a poker game.

Pot Limit: A version of poker when any player may bet the amount that is in the pot at any given time.

Quad: Any four of a kind.

Rag: A flop that doesn't appear to help anyone.

Raise: To increase the bet on the table.

Rake: The amount taken out of the pot by the dealer.

Rank: The numerical value of a card.

Ring Game: A real poker game as opposed to a tournament played for real money and not poker chips.

River: The 5th and final community card dealt in poker.

Short Stacked: When you are the player at the table with the least amount of chips.

Showdown: The final phase of a poker game where all remaining players show their hands to see who has the highest poker hand and therefore takes the pot.

Side Pot: A pot created where a person with no chips left has no vested interest.

Split Pot: A pot that is split between two or more players that have identical hands.

Slow Play: To play a slow hand weakly to keep the remaining players in the hand.

Tell: A hint or clue exhibited by a poker player that shows the way he is going to play a certain hand.

Tilt: To play wild or recklessly.

Turn: The 4th community card turned face up in a game of poker.

Underdog: A person who is not mathematically favored to win the pot.