2025-03-03

Common poker terms explained

Poker is a famous casino game that beginners and experts alike can play at casinos or, more easily, online. Before beginners take their place at the poker table, however, there are some terms and phrases that are unique to the game that they need to be aware of. Not knowing these terms (or perhaps only being familiar with how they are used in other contexts) can be confusing for a new poker player and may impact their ability to play a good game of poker.

With that in mind, we welcome new players to our poker glossary. We have provided a quick definition of the most used poker terms, and a few of the more obscure ones as well. New players can glance over it to give themselves an overview of various poker terms, return to brush up their poker terminology at their leisure, or save it to refer to in the future when they hear a new phrase used around the poker table. Expert poker players might find it useful to test their poker knowledge too!

Common poker terms: A

Aces high: A full five-card poker hand that includes an ace, but no pair. This makes the ace the highest card in the hand, hence it is an ‘ace-high’ hand.
Aces up: A hand with two pairs, including a pair of aces. The term can also be used to describe a hand with other cards, e.g. kings up, always using the highest ranking pair.
Action: This term simply refers to a player taking an action in the game, such as betting, raising, or folding.
Add-on: An amount that can be added to a stack of chips for a set fee during an official break during tournament play.
All-in: This is when a player puts all their remaining chips into the pot.
Ante: A forced bet made by all players before any cards are dealt, often used in the later stages of poker tournaments. Each player bets an equal amount.

Common poker terms: B

Bankroll: The amount of funds the player has set aside to play poker. Bankroll management is a vital element of being a good poker player.
Bet: A bet is the first wager made in each round of poker.
Big bet: This is the bigger of the two bet sizes allowed in a fixed limit poker game. It is used in the final rounds of the game and is usually twice the size of the smaller bet.
Big blind: This refers to the forced bet made by the player positioned directly to the left of the small blind, and two seats left of the dealer. This player must pay the big blind at the start of the round and subsequent players must call or raise the big blind to stay in the game.
Blind: A blind is any action taken before a player looks at his or her cards. Usually this is the forced bet (big blind or small blind) that is posted by players to the left of the dealer.
Bluff: A player is bluffing when they take actions that imply their hand is significantly better than it is, with the intention of making their opponents fold. The action is therefore called a bluff.
Button: Generally considered the best seat at the poker table, held by the dealer in any game where the dealer is also one of the players. It is so-called because it is generally marked by a physical button that indicates who is dealing.
Buy-in: The amount required to join a specific game of poker.

Common poker terms: C

Call: A type of bet. A player calls when they match the existing wager on the table.
Cap: A cap places a limit on the maximum bet that can be made postflop.
Chance: The probability that a certain outcome will occur during a poker game, generally expressed as a percentage.
Check raise: This is the act of raising when the previous action was a check.
Check: When the player is not placing a wager on that round and the action passes to the next player. This action can only be taken if no wager has yet been placed on that round.
Chinese poker: A variant of poker where the cards are dealt out and arranged into rows which are then compared against an opponent’s rows to see who wins.
Cold call: The term for when a player’s first action on a betting round is a call.
Combination: A term for the ‘combination’ of cards that a player is currently holding in their hand.
Community cards: Used in some poker variants, these cards are placed in the middle of the table and all players can use them in constructing their hand.
Cowboys: A term given to a pocket pair of Kings, generally considered the second-best starting hand to be dealt in many variants of poker.
Cut off: The position at the poker table directly to the right of the button.

Common poker terms: D

Dead man’s hand: Usually refers to a hand with a pair of aces and a pair of eights. It’s generally accepted that this refers to the legend of Wild Bill Hickok, who was shot in the head while holding this hand.
Dead money: Sometimes used to refer to unclaimed or extra money in the pot that could potentially be won by a player willing to take a risk and make an aggressive action.
Dealer: The person dealing the cards. They are generally employed by the house when playing poker in a casino but will often be a player in a friendly game.
Dealer's choice: When the dealer of the hand is allowed to select which poker variant will be played. This is common in informal, friendly games.
Deuce: In poker, this refers to a card with a face value of two.
Dirty stack: This indicates a chip stack that is badly organized. Poker etiquette dictates that chips should be grouped together in piles of the same denomination, with the larger denominations at the front of the chip stack. Failure to do this is considered bad etiquette at best and may even be considered cheating by some players.
Dog: Another word for the underdog in a poker game.
Double up: When a player doubles the value of their chips after winning an all-in bet.
Downcard: Simply refers to any card that is dealt to a player face down.
Downswing: Can be used to refer to a long period of losses, also sometimes called an unlucky streak.
Draw: Can refer to a card that a player is waiting to be drawn to complete their hand. However, there are also some variants of poker known as a ‘draw’, usually because the players replace the cards in their hand with cards drawn from the deck (for example, five-card draw).

Common poker terms: E

Early position: The first two or three seats at a full-ring poker table, or the lojack on a six-handed table.
Effective stacks: The shorter of two stacks in play in any poker game.
Equity: The likelihood of a certain hand winning at showdown, assuming that the player doesn’t fold before then.

Common poker terms: F

Face card: Another term for a picture card (jack, queen, king) as they traditionally depict a face.
Fastplay: The act of starting the game by betting and raising aggressively when holding a strong made hand.
Favourite: The hand or player deemed most likely to win statistically.
Flop: The second betting hand in most variants of poker. All hands from this stage onwards are referred to as ‘postflop’.
Flush: A hand consisting of five cards of the same suit.
Fold: An action where a player decides not to play their current hand.
Fourth street: The second betting round in stud poker games, so called because players are holding four cards at this stage in the game.
Full house: A hand consisting of one pair plus three of a kind. Sometimes nicknamed a ‘full boat’, this is a very strong hand in poker.

Common poker terms: G

Grinding: Refers to playing poker for an extended amount of time and slowly building up winnings.
Gutshot: Also known as an inside straight draw, this is when a player is waiting for an ‘inside’ card to complete a straight. For example, if they are holding five, six, eight, and nine, they are waiting on a seven.

Common poker terms: H

Hand ranking: The value attached to each specific hand in poker.
Hero call: A call that a player makes when they have a weaker hand and are against an opponent who seems to be confident, in the hopes that the opponent is bluffing.
Hero fold: When a player folds despite having a strong hand that they would typically play, because they suspect their opponent has an even better one.
High hand: A hand without pairs or other stronger combinations, where the strength of the hand is defined by its highest card.
High roller: A player who has a significant bankroll and participates mainly in very high stakes games, placing large wagers.
Hit and run: When a player joins a cash game, wins a significant amount, and then immediately leaves the game.
Hit: When a newly dealt card gives a player a good hand, they have hit.
Hold’em: A very popular poker variant, widely played in casinos and other venues.
Hole cards: Refers to cards that are dealt face down and not seen by other players.
House: Refers to the venue running the game, usually a casino.

Common poker terms: I

Inside straight draw: Another name for a gutshot straight draw.
Insurance: A side wager made with another player that will pay out even if the player’s hand doesn’t win overall.

Common poker terms: J

Jackpot: An extra payment offered by some casinos when a very strong hand is played.
Joker: The traditional joker in a deck of cards, which is sometimes used as a wild card in poker.

Common poker terms: K

Kickers: Side cards that don’t form part of the winning combination in a particular hand, but still contribute to the hand’s value. If two players have the same hand, the one with the highest kicker will win.

Common poker terms: L

Last longer: A side bet made between tournament participants on who will stay in the game longest.
Laydown: Another word for a fold, sometimes implying that the fold was made reluctantly.
Limit: The highest amount a player can bet or raise when playing a fixed limit poker game.
Limp: When a player calls on the first betting round when there is no raise on offer.
Low hand: Refers to the lowest hand. This is what players are aiming for in lowball poker events where the lowest hand wins.

Common poker terms: M

Mark: The weakest player at the table, often targeted by strong players to increase their own profits.
Mid stakes: Refers to a game with a mid-sized buy-in (as opposed to a ‘low stakes’ or ‘high stakes’ game).
Monster: An affectionate slang term for a great poker hand.
Must move: The name given to an overflow game in a casino when the main table is full. So called because players must move to the main table when a seat becomes free.

Common poker terms: N

No limit: Refers to a high stakes game where players can bet or raise any amount they want with no limit.
Nosebleed: A slang term in poker for a very high stakes game.
Nut flush: Another term used for an ace high flush.

Common poker terms: O

Offsuit: A hand that has no cards of matching suits.
Omaha: A popular variant of poker that uses community cards, with each player dealt four hole cards in the first round.
Open-raise: The first raise was made on the first betting round.

Common poker terms: P

Pair: Two cards of the same rank, forming a pair.
Pocket pair: A starting hand with two hole cards that make a pair.
Pocket rockets: A pocket pair of aces.
Postflop: Everything that occurs in the game after the flop.
Pot limit: When the maximum bet or raise allowed is the same value as the chips in the pot.
Pot: The centre of the table where all wagered chips go. The size of the pot refers to how many chips are there.
Preflop: The first betting round, before the flop.

Common poker terms: R

Rainbow: A hand where every card is a different suit.
Raise: An action where a player increases the size of the current wager.
Rank: A card’s face value.
Re-raise: When a player raises again, after there has already been a raise on the current street.
Royal flush: The best hand in most forms of poker, consisting of a ten, jack, queen, king and ace in a matching suit.
Run: Refers to how the cards are falling for a player. For example, a player can be having a good run or a bad run.

Common poker terms: S

Sequence: The order of the cards, resulting in a certain hand. For example, five cards in sequence make a straight.
Set: Three of a kind made after being dealt a pocket pair.
Show hand: When a player exposes their cards after the hand has been played.
Side pot: A second pot is formed after a player has gone all-in by the remaining players who still have chips to play.
Sit and go: A type of poker tournament which will start as soon as the specified number of entrants are seated at the table.
Small bet: The smaller of the two allowed bet sizes in a fixed limit game.
Small blind: The first position at the poker table, next to the button, and the name for the bet the player in this position must make at the start of each hand.
Split pot: When the pot is divided up among two or more players. For example, in the case of a tie.
Stealing: When a player tries to win the pot outright on the very first betting round, especially if they are the first raiser.
Straight flush: Five cards of consecutive rank that are also of the same suit.
Straight: Five cards of consecutive rank regardless of suit (for example, two, three, four, five, six)
String bet: A multi-part action by a player. For example, when a player calls a bet and then raises.
Stud: A common variant of poker where players receive both hidden and up cards in the first betting round.

Common poker terms: T

Table stakes: A rule that states a player cannot be forced to wager more chips than they initially brought to the table.
Tell: An unconscious sign that some players give out that indicates the type of hand they are holding.
Three of a kind: A hand consisting of three cards of the same rank.
Tie: When two players have the exact same hand, resulting in the pot being split.
Tilt: Refers to the mental state that players are in during the game, perhaps expressing anger or anxiety.
Trips: A term used for three of a kind when it is not made from a pocket pair in the hole.
Turn: The third betting round in some poker variants, such as hold’em.
Two pair: Refers to two sets of pairs and a kicker in a player’s hand.

Common poker terms: U

Underbet: A smaller bet size of less than 50% of the pot value.
Underdog: The player or hand that is least likely to win.
Up the ante: A common expression used in poker that generally refers to increasing the stakes.
Upcard: A card that is dealt face up in some poker variants such as stud.
Upswing: Can be used to refer to a long run of wins, also sometimes called a lucky streak.

Common poker terms: V

Variant: A type of poker game. Common variants of poker include hold’em, Omaha, and stud.
Vulnerable: A poker hand is considered vulnerable if it is likely to be outdrawn.

Common poker terms: W

Whale: Refers to a bad poker player who is losing a lot of money, particularly in a high stakes game.
Wheel: A straight consisting of an ace, two, three, four, and five.
WSOP: Stands for The World Series of Poker, a poker tournament held annually in Las Vegas. It is generally considered to be the most prestigious poker event there is.

Wrapping up

Hopefully our detailed poker glossary will help beginners brush up on their poker terminology and understand the various poker terms and phrases regular players use. After getting familiar with these poker terms, new players should feel a little more at home around any poker table and feel able to understand, and maybe even use, the appropriate poker game terms in almost any situation.