The most important terms in poker

A little poker dictionary.


All-In
A player bets all his chips. If another player joins, there is a showdown (= show cards). If the board is not yet complete, the missing cards get dealt and the better hand wins the pot.

Ante
Basic stake, as opposed to blinds, must be brought by each. Typical is the Ante in Draw variants. Furthermore, in later stages of multi-table tournaments often there is an additional Ante, aside from the blinds.

Ante Up
Put a bet in the pot.

Bad Beat
A good hand is beaten by a lucky turn of events. To put id differently: one has done everything right, but still lost: "That's poker!" ;)

Big Blind
The stake that must be paid at the second position after the dealer.

Button
Other term for the position of the dealer.

Buy-In
The minimum amount that must be brought in to join a game or a tournament.

Call
To pay the actual stake, to stay in the game.

Cash Out
To exit the game and get the chips exchanged in money.

Cash Game
Game where a player can enter and leave the table at any time. The chips each player has have “real” value, means they can be exchanged for cash, as opposed to a tournament, => Cash Game.

Check
when no bet was made yet, it is possible to “check”, which means you don't put in any chips but can still remain in the game.

Check-Raise
Means that you first check, then after somebody made a bet, you instantly raise that bet. This strategy is used to get more chips into the pot.

Chip Leader
The player in a tournament that has the biggest amount of chips.

Community Cards
Cards that are dealt face up on the table, they belong to each player.

Dealer
A person who distributes the cards.

Deck
The deck.

Early Position
Players in the following positions: Small Blind, Big Blind, and Under The Gun (player after the big blind). Since they are the first players that have to make a bet, they are in a  strategic disadvantage.

Final Table
Table with the last remaining players.

Flop
In Hold'em and Omaha, the first three community cards that are open. "Flop" is the second round of betting.

Flush
Five cards of the same suit (spades, hearts, diamonds or cross).

Flush Draw
One already has four cards of one color and the possibility to get the fifth card of the same color on turn or river.

Fold
To throw the cards away, also known as "Pass”.

Folding Equity
The amount of chips that makes other players fold.

Free Card
The player gets a free card without having to make a bet or call.

Freeroll
A tournament with free participation, but has money as profit.

Full House
Combination of any triplet (Three of a Kind) and any pair.

Gutshot
"belly shot", i.e. it lacks a card in the middle for a straight, like 5,6,8,9.

Heads-Up
There are only two players left in the game.

Holdem
Also known as "Texas Hold'em", each player gets two own cards (Holecards) and five "community cards".

Kicker
The highest card that is used in addition to a pair.

Late Position
Players in late position are to act last after the flop.

Limp
If you fill up the the big blind pre-flop.

Middle position
A middle position within a round of betting. They have players before and after them?

Minimum buy-in
The smallest amount with which you can start the game.

No Limit
Poker variation in which it is possible to put all the chips in at once.

Odds
The probability of the hand to win.

Offsuit
Cards with different colors.

Omaha
A poker variation, much like Hold'em, where each player gets four holecards. For a valid hand he has to use two of his holecards and three community cards.

Open Ended Straight
Four consecutive cards. It lacks a card at the low or high end for a straight.

Outs
The number of cards remaining in the deck, that make your hand the better hand. Probability.

Overplay
to play too aggressive

Position
The position of the player at the table in relation to when he has to take action

Pot
The money or chips in the middle of the table the players try to win.

Pot-Limit
In pot-limit there is a limit in how much one can bet. Only the same amount in chips that are already in the middle of the table can be bet, at the most.
 
Preflop
The phase in which the flop has not yet fallen and only the hole cards are in the game.

Raise
To raise a bet of another player.

Rake
Small portion of the pot that belongs to the casino.

Re-Raise
After a raise another raise is made.

Rebuy
The possibility to reenter a tournament, after a player was eliminated.

Reload Bonus
Many online poker rooms offer a bonus when the player refills his account.

Ring Game
With the ring game or “cash game”, the player has the possibility at any time to cash out. The chips of the players stand for real money.

River
The last card from the board. In Hold'em and Omaha it is called "Fifth Street”. In Stud games as "Seventh Street."

Riverboat
A full house that was completed with the last card, the “river”.
 
Round of Betting
Betting

Royal Flush
The best possible combination of cards in a poker game, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in the same color.

Royalties
Bonus

Satellites
A tournament with a small buy-in, where you can win a seat at a big tournament. For example, many Pokerrooms offer satellite tournaments where a seat at the WSOP events can be won.

Semi-Bluff
A bluff with a bad hand, but still has a possibility of improvement. e.g. you hold K-Q and the board brings J-10-5, =  open-ended straight-draw (= 8 outs) ... Why not raise?

Seven-Card Stud
Well-known poker game where the players get three open and four hidden cards. Five of these seven cards are played.

Short Stack
The player with the lowest chip stack

Showdown
Indicates the end of a game, after the final betting round, players show their cards and the best hand gets the pot.

Side Bet
Side bet

Side Pot
If a player goes All-In, and other players raise because they have more chips, a "side pot" formed. In this pot, the player who went all-in is no longer eligible.

Sign Up Bonus
Cash bonus by an online provider for a new player.

Sit and go
Sit and Go's are tournaments with a limited number of participants. Most are tournaments with 6-10 players.

Sit Out
Temporary non-attendance at the game without having to abandon the seat.

Slow Play
Restrained play with a strong hand in the early rounds with the goal to resemble as many players in the pot as possible.

Small Blind
In all poker games with a button, a live blind, the one player at the first position after the button, must bet the small blind. It usually corresponds to half of the big blind.

Split Pot
A pot between two or more players that is shared because of equally strong hands.

Stack
Current chips that a player has in front of him.

Straight
Five cards in sequence (eg 3,4,5,6,7).

Straight Flush
Five cards in sequence and of the same color (eg: 3,4,5,6,7 all hearts).

Suited
Cards of the same color.

Tilt
Loss of concentration, discipline and rationality after a bad beat. Rationality is replaced by Emotionality – you play frustrated.

Top Pair
The highest card from the Board, that builds a couple with one of your hole cards.

Turn
The fourth card on the board (first after the flop).

Underpair
If you have a pair in hand that is smaller than all the cards in the middle, then this is a Underpair. For example you have 5-5 on hand and in the middle is 7-9-K.

WCOOP
Short form for "World Championship of Online Poker"


WSOP
World Series of Poker


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