Poker terms, explained simply
Poker has a lot of its own words. These are the ones you’ll hear at a Texas Hold’em table, in alphabetical order, each explained in a sentence or two.
A to Z
- All in
- Betting every chip you have left. You can’t be asked to put in more, and you stay in the hand until the showdown.
- Bankroll
- Money set aside only for poker, that you can afford to lose.
- Big blind
- The bigger of the two forced bets, posted by the second player to the left of the button. It also sets the smallest bet allowed.
- Bluff
- Betting with a weak hand so that better hands fold.
- Board
- The community cards in the middle of the table.
- The disc that marks the dealer position. The player on the button acts last after the flop.
- Call
- Matching the current bet to stay in the hand.
- Check
- Passing without betting, allowed only when nobody has bet in this round.
- Community cards
- The five cards dealt face up that every player can use.
- Draw
- A hand that needs one more card to become strong, like four cards to a flush.
- Flop
- The first three community cards, dealt together.
- Fold
- Giving up your cards and any claim to the pot.
- Gutshot
- A straight draw that needs one specific rank in the middle, like 5-6-8-9 needing a 7. It has 4 outs.
- Heads-up
- A hand or game with only two players.
- Hole cards
- Your two private cards.
- Kicker
- A leftover card that decides between two hands of the same kind, like two players with a pair of aces.
- Nuts
- The best possible hand on a given board.
- Outs
- The unseen cards that would make your hand a winner.
- Pocket pair
- Two hole cards of the same rank, like 8-8.
- Position
- Where you sit relative to the button. Acting later is an advantage, because you see what others do first.
- Pot
- All the chips bet in the current hand.
- Pot odds
- The price of a call compared with the pot you can win.
- Preflop
- The first round of betting, after the hole cards are dealt and before the flop.
- Raise
- Increasing the current bet. In no-limit, a raise must add at least as much as the previous bet or raise.
- River
- The fifth and last community card.
- Semi-bluff
- Betting with a draw: you can win now if they fold, or hit your card later.
- Showdown
- Showing the cards at the end of the hand to see who wins.
- Side pot
- A separate pot for chips bet beyond what an all-in player could match. The all-in player can’t win it.
- Small blind
- The smaller forced bet, posted by the player just to the left of the button.
- Split pot
- When two or more players have exactly the same best hand and share the pot.
- Stack
- The chips a player has in front of them.
- Suited
- Two hole cards of the same suit, like A♠ J♠.
- Tilt
- Playing worse because you’re upset, usually after losing a big pot.
- Turn
- The fourth community card.
- Under the gun
- The first player to act before the flop, just left of the big blind.
- Value bet
- A bet with a strong hand that you want worse hands to call.
Questions people ask
What does “the nuts” mean in poker?
The nuts is the best possible hand on the current board. If you have it, nobody can beat you.
What is the difference between the flop, turn and river?
They are the three stages of dealing community cards: the flop is the first three cards, the turn is the fourth and the river is the fifth.
What is a kicker in poker?
A card that isn’t part of your pair or set but still counts in your best five. When two players have the same pair, the higher kicker wins.