Poker Terms Explained | Poker Glossary and Jargon

Nut

The best possible hand in a given situation. For example, if the community cards are 10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♠, the best possible hand in that draw would be any hand that contains a spade, resulting in a Royal Flush.

Pot

The total bet amount collected in the center of the table. The player who wins the hand wins the pot.

Тop

The highest card in your hand.

Run

A sequence of cards, such as a Straight or a Flush.

Limp

Enter the game by betting an amount equal to the big blind without increasing the bet. For example, you're playing Texas Hold'em and the big blind is ₹500. If you are the first player after the blinds, and instead of making a big bet or raise, you bet ₹500, it's called limping.

Tilt

State of mind when players lose their cool and start making emotional and reckless moves. For example, take a tournament player who's just lost a big pot with a very strong hand. After this loss, he may become frustrated and even angry. In subsequent hands, the player may start betting aggressively and recklessly, even with weak cards.

Turn

The fourth community card dealt at the table in poker variations such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha. It is dealt face up, and players can use it to make their hands.

Fold

Refusing to continue the current hand and losing all bets placed.

Flop

The first three community cards dealt to the table in games such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha. They are dealt face up, and players can use them make their hands.

Call

Poker move by which you match the previous bet to stay in the game without raising. For example, if player A bets 5 chips, player B can call by putting the same amount in the pot. That way, he'll stay in the game and see the next card.

Pass

Refusing to bet and deciding not to participate in the current hand.

Trap

Poker strategy in which players fake having a weak hand or play passively to trick opponents into making bigger bets. For example, you may hold a solid hand, such as Three of a Kind. But instead of betting aggressively, you call in each round, giving the impression of having a weak hand.

River

The fifth and final community card in Texas Hold'em and Omaha. It is dealt face up and players can use it to make their hands.

Rebuy

The ability to buy more chips after you have lost all or part of your starting chips.

Turbo

A type of fast-paced poker tournament featuring betting levels and where the blinds increase much faster.

Tight

Poker slang for a more conservative style of play that relies on playing with fewer hands. They may be fewer, but those hands are usually strong.

Check

Poker slang used for not betting at the moment but staying in the game. Only possible if no one has bet before you. For example, if everyone before you has checked, you can check without betting chips. If someone then bets, you can call, raise or fold.

Board

The community cards on the table that all players can use. They include the flop, the turn, and the river.

Bluff

Strategy in which players bet or raise with a weak hand in an attempt to get opponents to fold. For example, if you have 7♠ 2♣ but bet aggressively to eliminate the other players, you bluff.

All-In

Bet type where players bet all their poker chips at once. This move is best used when you're confident of winning the hand, or when you bluff and want to trick other players into folding.

Raise

Poker move of increasing the current bet in the round. For example, if player A bets 5 chips, player B can raise by betting, for example, 10 chips. Raising increases the total amount in the pot and puts pressure on other players.

Blind

Mandatory bet made before the cards are dealt. There are two types of blind bets: the small blind and the big blind.

Loose

Style of play that involves playing a large number of weaker hands.

Aggressive

Style of play characterised by frequent betting and raising the stakes. It is used for putting pressure on opponents.

Bankroll

The total amount of money you've set aside for playing poker, including buy-ins, cash for games, etc.

Backdoor

Slang for the state of play where you count on two last community cards to complete the hand. An example would be a Straight or a Flush completed with the turn and the river.

Bounty

Type of poker tournament where you can win a portion of the pot by eliminating other players. The prize for doing so is also called the bounty.

Gutshot

An inside draw that needs a middle card for completing a Straight. For instance, if you hold 5, 6, 8, and 9 and need the community card to be a 7.

Deep Stack

Poker game with a starting chip count significantly higher than usual.

Connectors

Cards that are close in value to each other and easily combined. An example would be cards 7, 8, and 9.

Stack-to-Pot Ratio (SPR)

Ratio that shows the size of your chips relative to the size of the pot. Knowing about it helps when making betting decisions. For example, if you have a stack of 50 chips, and the pot currently sits at 25 chips, your SPR is 2 (50/25). A low SPR usually means it is harder to fold, while a high SPR allows more options in the game.

Calling Station

Players who rarely fold and often call every bet regardless of the strength of their hand.

Multi-Table

Tournaments played at many tables simultaneously.

Preflop

The stage of the game when players at the table make their initial bets, aka, the first betting round. For example, in a game of Texas Hold'em, each player receives two hole cards. After that, the first round of betting, or preflop, can start with players deciding what to do with their cards.

Side Pot

An extra pot created when one or more players go all-in.

Satellite

Tournament whose prizes include entry tickets to other, more lucrative tournaments.

Sit-and-Go

Tournament with no fixed start time, which begins when the required number of players has gathered.

Freezeout

Tournament where players start with a set number of chips and play until there is only one winner.

Heads-Up

State of the game with two players left to play against each other.

High Roller

Tournaments with very high entry fees.

Short Stack

Player with a small chip count compared to other players.

Button

The most profitable position on the poker table. The button acts last in every postflop betting round and has the vantage point of seeing what course of action other players have taken.

Kicker

A decisive card that determines the winner when two or more players have identical hands.