How to use this glossary
This is a plain-English poker dictionary: every term gets a one-paragraph definition, with the definition itself in the first sentence. Use the letters to jump, or start typing in the filter to find a word. Terms that have a full guide on this site link to it. The vocabulary is the same in Texas Hold’em and Omaha unless the entry says otherwise.
Key facts
- 117 terms, from action to wrap, grouped A to Z.
- The words you will hear most: blinds, button, flop, turn, river, check, raise, fold, pair, set, kicker, outs, pot odds.
- Seat names (UTG, hijack, cutoff, button) are explained here and mapped in the poker positions guide.
- Hand names (pair to royal flush) are ranked with cards in the hand rankings.
- Table slang for starting hands (Big Slick, Cowboys, The Hammer) has its own page: poker hand nicknames.
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A
Action
Any bet, raise, call, check or fold a player makes; also, a table or game with a lot of betting. “The action is on you” means it is your turn to act.
All-in
Betting every chip you have left in front of you. Once all-in you cannot be forced out of the hand, but you can only win the part of the pot you have matched; the rest goes into a side pot. See Texas Hold’em rules →
Ante
A small forced bet that every player at the table posts before the cards are dealt, used mainly in tournaments. Unlike the blinds, an ante is paid by everyone and does not count towards calling a bet.
B
Backdoor draw
A draw that needs both the turn and the river to complete, for example three cards to a flush on the flop. A backdoor flush draw comes in about 4% of the time. See odds calculator →
Bad beat
Losing a hand that was a strong favourite when the money went in, usually to an unlikely river card.
Bankroll
The money a player has set aside only for playing poker. Bankroll management means playing stakes small enough that normal losing streaks cannot wipe it out. See beginner’s guide →
Bet
The first wager on a betting round. A bet opens the action; players after you must call, raise or fold.
Big blind
The larger of the two forced bets posted before the deal, by the player two seats left of the button. The big blind acts last before the flop and second after it. Stakes are quoted in big blinds, for example 1/2. See poker positions →
Blank
A community card that does not change the strength of anyone’s hand, such as a low, unsuited card on a turn where everyone was drawing to a flush. Also called a brick.
Blind
A forced bet posted before the cards are dealt by the two players left of the button: the small blind and the big blind. Blinds rotate with the button so that everyone pays them in turn. See poker positions →
Bluff
A bet or raise made with a hand that is probably not the best, intended to make a better hand fold.
Board
The community cards in the middle of the table: three on the flop, one on the turn and one on the river. “Playing the board” means your best hand is the five community cards themselves. See hand calculator →
Bottom pair
A pair made with the lowest card on the board, such as holding 5-4 on a K-9-5 flop. Usually a weak hand.
Broadway
The highest straight, A-K-Q-J-10. “Broadway cards” are the ten through the ace.
Burn card
A card the dealer discards face down before dealing the flop, turn and river, so that a marked or exposed top card cannot give information.
Button
The dealer position, marked by a round disc that moves one seat clockwise every hand. The button acts last on every round after the flop and is the most profitable seat at the table. See poker positions →
Buy-in
The amount of chips a player brings to a cash table or pays to enter a tournament. Most online cash tables allow buy-ins between 40 and 100 big blinds.
C
Call
Matching the current bet or raise to stay in the hand without raising.
Calling station
A player who calls too often and rarely raises or folds. Bluffing a calling station is a mistake; betting good hands for value is not.
Cap
A limit on the number of raises allowed in a betting round (in limit poker), or on how much a player can buy in for.
Cash game
A poker game where chips represent money (or, in social poker, a fixed chip value) and players can join, leave and rebuy at any time. Compare with a tournament, where everyone starts with the same stack and plays until one player has all the chips.
Check
Declining to bet when no one has bet before you on the current round. The action passes to the next player; if everyone checks, the next card is dealt.
Check-raise
Checking when the action reaches you, then raising after an opponent bets on the same round. A strong move with a big hand or as a bluff, usually from out of position.
Chop
Splitting a pot between two or more players with equally strong hands. Also, an agreement between the blinds to take back their forced bets when everyone else folds.
Coin flip
A matchup where both hands have close to 50% equity before the flop, classically a pair against two higher cards, such as 8-8 versus A-K. See odds calculator →
Cold call
Calling a raise without having put any money in the pot on that round yet, as opposed to calling a raise after you had already bet.
Community cards
The face-up cards dealt in the middle of the table that every player shares: the flop, turn and river in Texas Hold’em and Omaha. See Texas Hold’em rules →
Connectors
Two hole cards next to each other in rank, such as 9-8. “Suited connectors” are also the same suit and can make both straights and flushes.
Continuation bet
A bet on the flop by the player who raised before the flop, whether or not the flop helped them. Often shortened to c-bet.
Cooler
A hand where a very strong holding loses to an even stronger one, such as a set losing to a higher set. Unlike a bad beat, the money usually goes in with the worst of it.
Cutoff
The seat immediately to the right of the button. A late position from which players raise often to steal the blinds. See poker positions →
D
Dead money
Chips in the pot that belong to players who have already folded, which makes a bet to win the pot more attractive.
Dealer
The person or software that shuffles and deals the cards. In home games the dealer position rotates with the button; online the button simply marks who would be dealing.
Dominated hand
A hand that shares its best card with an opponent but has a worse second card, such as A-Q against A-K. The dominated hand wins only about one time in four. See odds calculator →
Donk bet
A bet made out of position into the player who raised on the previous round, instead of checking to them.
Double-suited
In Omaha, a four-card hand with two cards of one suit and two of another, giving two flush draws. The strongest shape for a starting hand. See PLO starting hands →
Draw
A hand that is not yet made but can improve to a strong one, such as four cards to a flush or straight. The cards that complete it are called outs. See odds calculator →
Drawing dead
Being in a hand with no cards left in the deck that can win it, for example drawing to a flush when an opponent already holds a full house.
E
Equity
Your share of the pot if the hand were played out many times, expressed as a percentage. A hand with 35% equity wins about 35% of the time against the opponent’s hand or range. See odds calculator →
Expected value (EV)
The average amount a decision wins or loses over the long run. A +EV call makes money on average even if it loses this particular hand.
F
Family pot
A pot where most or all players at the table see the flop.
Fish
Slang for a weak, inexperienced player. The polite term is recreational player.
Flat call
Calling a bet or raise rather than re-raising, usually with a hand strong enough to raise, to keep weaker hands in the pot.
Float
Calling a bet on the flop with a weak hand, planning to take the pot away with a bet on the turn if the opponent checks.
Flop
The first three community cards, dealt face up together after the first betting round. See Texas Hold’em rules →
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. When two players have a flush, the highest card decides; an ace-high flush is the nut flush. See hand rankings →
Fold
Giving up your hand and any claim to the pot. You lose whatever you have already put in.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank plus any fifth card. Also called quads. Only a straight flush beats it. See hand rankings →
Free card
A turn or river card seen without having to call a bet, usually because everyone checked. Players in position can often give themselves a free card by checking behind.
Freeroll
A tournament with no entry fee that still pays prizes. Also, a situation where a player cannot lose the pot but can still win it, for example two identical straights where one player also holds a flush draw.
Full house
Three cards of one rank and two of another, such as K-K-K-7-7, described as “kings full of sevens”. Ranked by the three of a kind first. See hand rankings →
G
Gutshot
A straight draw that needs one specific rank to complete, such as 9-8 on a J-10-2 board needing a seven. Four outs, about 16.5% to hit by the river from the flop. Also called an inside straight draw. See odds calculator →
H
Hand
Either a player’s hole cards (“I had a strong hand”) or one complete deal from the shuffle to the showdown (“we played a hand”). At showdown, a hand is the best five cards you can make.
Heads-up
A hand or game played between only two players.
High card
The lowest hand rank: five cards with no pair, straight or flush, valued by the highest card. Ace-high beats king-high. See hand rankings →
Hijack
The seat two places to the right of the button, before the cutoff. A middle-to-late position at a full table and the second seat to act at a 6-max table. See poker positions →
Hole cards
The private cards dealt face down to each player: two in Texas Hold’em, four in Omaha. Also called pocket cards.
I
Implied odds
Pot odds adjusted for the money you expect to win on later streets if you hit your draw. Good implied odds justify calls that the current pot alone would not.
In position
Acting after your opponent on each betting round after the flop. The player on the button is always in position. See poker positions →
K
Kicker
A side card that does not form part of the main combination but breaks ties. With A-K against A-Q on an ace-high board, both have a pair of aces and the king kicker wins. See hand calculator →
L
Limp
Entering the pot before the flop by just calling the big blind instead of raising. Generally a weak play, especially from early position.
Lojack
The seat three places to the right of the button at a full-ring table, just before the hijack. A middle position. See poker positions →
M
Made hand
A hand that is already complete and does not need to improve, such as a pair or a straight, as opposed to a draw.
Muck
To throw your hand away without showing it; also the pile of folded and burned cards.
Multiway pot
A pot contested by three or more players. Hands need to be stronger to win multiway than heads-up.
N
Nuts
The best possible hand given the community cards. The “nut flush” is the highest flush available, usually ace-high.
O
Offsuit
Two hole cards of different suits, written with an “o”, as in A-Ko.
Omaha
A poker variant with four hole cards, where each player must use exactly two of them with exactly three community cards. Usually played pot-limit (PLO). See PLO starting hands →
Open raise
The first raise in a hand when no one has entered the pot yet. “Opening range” is the set of hands a player raises with from a given seat. See poker positions →
Open-ended straight draw
Four cards in sequence that can complete a straight at either end, such as 9-8-7-6 needing a ten or a five. Eight outs, about 32% by the river from the flop. See odds calculator →
Out
A card still in the deck that improves your hand, usually to one that will win. Counting outs is the basis of poker odds: nine outs for a flush draw, eight for an open-ended straight draw. See odds calculator →
Out of position
Acting before your opponent on each round after the flop. The blinds are always out of position against the rest of the table. See poker positions →
Overcard
A hole card higher than any card on the board, or a board card higher than your pair. A-K on a 9-5-2 flop has two overcards.
Overpair
A pocket pair higher than every card on the board, such as J-J on a 9-5-2 flop.
P
Pair
Two cards of the same rank plus three unrelated cards, the lowest made hand above high card. When two players hold a pair, the higher pair wins; equal pairs are decided by the kickers. See hand rankings →
Pocket pair
Two hole cards of the same rank, such as 8-8. “Pocket aces” are A-A.
Position
Where you sit relative to the button, which decides when you act. Later positions act last and are more profitable. See poker positions →
Pot
All the chips bet during a hand, which go to the winner at showdown or to the last player left when everyone else folds.
Pot odds
The ratio between the size of the pot and the cost of a call, used to decide whether a call is profitable. Calling 50 into a pot of 150 gives 3-to-1, so you need to win more than 25% of the time. See odds calculator →
Pot-limit
A betting structure where the maximum bet or raise is the current size of the pot. Standard for Omaha. See PLO starting hands →
Pre-flop
The first betting round, after players receive their hole cards and before the flop is dealt.
Q
Quads
Four of a kind. See hand rankings →
R
Rainbow
A flop (or a hand in Omaha) with no two cards of the same suit, so no flush draw is possible.
Raise
Increasing the current bet. Other players must match the new amount to stay in the hand.
Rake
A small percentage of each pot taken by the card room as a fee. Free social poker games such as Appeak Poker have no real-money rake.
Range
All the hands a player could have in a situation, based on how they have played so far. Good players think about ranges rather than one exact hand.
Re-raise
Raising after someone has already raised. Also called a 3-bet; a raise over a 3-bet is a 4-bet.
River
The fifth and last community card, followed by the final betting round and the showdown. See Texas Hold’em rules →
Rundown
In Omaha, four hole cards in sequence, such as J-10-9-8, which make many straights. See PLO starting hands →
Runner-runner
Hitting a hand with both the turn and the river, such as catching two running hearts for a backdoor flush.
S
Semi-bluff
A bet or raise with a hand that is probably behind now but has outs to become the best hand, such as a flush draw. It can win immediately when opponents fold or later when it hits.
Set
Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one matching board card, such as 7-7 on a K-7-2 flop. Stronger and better hidden than trips.
Showdown
The end of the hand, when the remaining players reveal their cards and the best hand wins the pot. See hand calculator →
Side pot
A separate pot created when one player is all-in and others keep betting. The all-in player can only win the main pot they contributed to.
Slow play
Playing a strong hand passively, by checking or just calling, to keep opponents in and win more later.
Small blind
The smaller forced bet, posted by the player directly left of the button, usually half the big blind. The small blind acts first after the flop, which makes it the worst position at the table. See poker positions →
Split pot
A pot divided between two or more players whose best five-card hands are identical in rank. Suits never break a tie. See hand calculator →
Stack
The chips a player has on the table. A “short stack” has few big blinds; a “deep stack” has many.
Steal
A raise from late position intended to win the blinds without a fight. See poker positions →
Straddle
A voluntary blind bet, usually double the big blind, posted before the cards are dealt by the player left of the big blind. It buys the right to act last before the flop.
Straight
Five cards in sequence of mixed suits, such as 9-8-7-6-5. The ace plays high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A), but a straight cannot wrap around. See hand rankings →
Straight flush
Five cards in sequence of the same suit. The highest, A-K-Q-J-10 suited, is a royal flush. See hand rankings →
Suited
Two hole cards of the same suit, written with an “s”, as in A-Ks. Suited hands can make a flush.
T
Tell
A physical or timing habit that gives away the strength of a player’s hand.
Texas Hold’em
The most popular poker variant: two private hole cards, five community cards, and the best five-card hand from any combination of the seven wins. See Texas Hold’em rules →
Three-bet
The first re-raise in a betting round, so called because the big blind counts as the first bet and the open raise as the second.
Tilt
Playing worse than usual because of frustration, usually after a bad beat. Taking a break is the standard cure.
Top pair
A pair made with the highest card on the board, such as A-J on an A-8-3 flop. With the best possible kicker it is called top pair, top kicker.
Tournament
A game where every player starts with the same number of chips and plays until one person has them all; prizes are paid by finishing position.
Trips
Three of a kind made with one hole card and a pair on the board. Weaker than a set, because anyone with the third card has the same trips.
Turn
The fourth community card, dealt after the flop betting round. Also called fourth street. See Texas Hold’em rules →
Two pair
Two cards of one rank and two of another, plus a kicker. Ranked by the higher pair first. See hand rankings →
U
Under the gun
The first seat to act before the flop, directly left of the big blind. The tightest position, since the whole table still has to act. See poker positions →
V
Value bet
A bet made with the best hand, sized so that a worse hand will call. The opposite of a bluff.
Variance
The natural swings in results caused by luck in the short term. Even a winning player has losing weeks.
W
Wheel
The lowest straight, A-2-3-4-5, with the ace playing as the low card. See hand rankings →
Wrap
In Omaha, a straight draw with more than eight outs, made possible by four hole cards; a big wrap can have 17 or 20 outs. See PLO starting hands →
Poker terms FAQ
What are the most important poker terms for a beginner?
Blinds, button, position, flop, turn and river, check, bet, raise, call and fold describe how a hand is played. Pair, two pair, set, straight, flush and kicker describe what you hold. Outs, equity and pot odds describe whether a call is worth it. Those thirty words cover almost everything you will hear at a table.
What is the difference between a set and trips?
Both are three of a kind. A set is made with a pocket pair and one card on the board; trips use one hole card and a pair on the board. A set is stronger because it is hidden and nobody else can have the same three cards.
What does “the nuts” mean?
The best possible hand given the community cards. If the board is K♠ 9♠ 5♠ 2♦ 7♣, the nuts is an ace-high spade flush; no other hand can beat it.
What is a kicker?
A side card that breaks ties when players have the same combination. With a pair of aces each, the player whose next card is higher wins.
What are outs and equity?
Outs are the cards left in the deck that improve your hand; equity is your overall chance to win the pot. Nine flush outs on the flop give about 35% equity to hit the flush by the river.
What do UTG, HJ, CO and BTN mean?
Seat names: under the gun (first to act before the flop), hijack and cutoff (the two seats before the button) and the button (the dealer seat, last to act after the flop).