Poker is an intimidating game at its best. The high stakes, competitive aura that surrounds the game is enough to scare anyone from stepping foot inside a poker room. On the contrary, this is exactly what makes the game so irresistible. Due to this reason, many head over to the internet to look up texas hold’em guides which will help them understand the game. Poker is reasonably easy to learn. Even after becoming well-acquainted with the game one might find themselves stuck at a rather curious point. Witnessing a poker game for the first time is certain to leave a lot of the on-lookers with confusion. This is due to the long list of Texas hold’em terms which an amateur level player may not be aware of.
Hence, this online poker guide for beginners will help you get to understand the poker vocabulary you need to become a professional poker player.
A
Action: this is a straightforward term which means either the turn of the player or the money which is currently in play, whether in hand or on the table.
Ace in the hole: a term which signifies that a player has an Ace as one of their two hole cards which they receive at the beginning of a new round.
Add on: when a player wishes to add more chips which they can do by buying. This is ‘add on’ in Texas hold’em poker terms.
Ante: this is a bet which all players must make as a compulsory action before cards are dealt.
All in: this is the infamous term that all of us have witnessed in the entertainment industry. All in means to bet all of the remaining chips in the pot. This is usually after the river round which deals the final card. This sort of bet is only possible in a no-limit poker game.
Air: when a player receives cards which have no value and does not end up making a good hand. Some professional players are able to make the best out of these cards and end up winning.
Angle shooting: this is when an illegal play is made in order to win.
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B
Bad beat: this refers to a situation in which a weaker hand beats a stronger hand and nobody calls their bluff.
Backdoor: in the fortunate circumstance when a player is able to make a strong hand using the turn and river card. This is indeed a lucky moment for the player who gains two cards consecutively to aid them which is why the term ‘backdoor’ fits in this situation.
Bankroll: this simply identifies as the bank. In poker games which are at casinos, the bank is usually the dealer who is an official who hosts the game.
Bet: this term refers to the wager made at a poker game.
Betting on come: in some cases, players who are not sure about their hand at the beginning of the game do not lose hope and wait for the flop, turn, or the river cards to help with their hands. This action is famous as ‘betting on come’. More often than not, a lot of players are glad that they did not fold.
Blind: these are the compulsory bets which are made before the cards are dealt. The intention of these bets is to get the pot brewing and bring some energy to the game. The responsibility of blind bets resides with the two players on the left side of the dealer.
Big blind: this is one of the two blind bets, the big and small blind. The largest bet at the beginning of a round is the big blind.
Bluff: one of the most famous texas hold’em terms is the bluff. This is the act of making other players believe that what you are telling them is the truth even if it is a lie. This does not necessarily have to be verbal communication. Some players call and raise in such a way that the opponent ends up folding. When it comes to poker, no one can hold back from bluffing since it is the essence of a true poker game.
Board: when all of the community cards which include flop, turn, and river are face-up on the table it is known as the board.
Boat: a term commonly in use to refer to a full house.
Bottom pair: this is a pair which takes the lowest-ranking cards from the community cards to form.
Broadway: this refers to the hand which comprises cards from the 10 to an Ace.
Burn cards: before the dealer is about the deal the cards from a fresh or existing pile he removes the top card and places it in the muck pile. This happens in case any player saw it by accident. This act identifies as burning the card.
Bullets: when someone says a player has bullets it means they have a pair of Aces.
Bust: losing all the chips in a tournament refers to a bust. This does not mean that the player can not play again. They simply have to buy the chips and continue with the game.
Button: a button is a small puck-like object. In a poker game, the puck spells out the word dealer, which is why it may also be familiar as a dealer button.
Buy in: to participate in a poker game, a player must pay to get chips to play.
C
Call: one of the actions a player can use in a game of poker is ‘call’. When a player chooses to call they match the bet of the previous player in order to keep the hand going.
Calling station: a comical name for someone who keeps calling instead of using the other options such as fold, raise, or check.
Call the clock: when a player takes too much time to make a decision, other players can call them out on this. This action identifies as calling the clock.
Check: a very vital action when it comes to poker is checking. When a player is feeling not so confident they may check which allows them to pass the turn to the next player.
Check-raise: this is a very strategic move which allows a player to check first which determines whether the other players in the game are confident or not. The player then proceeds to raise which depicts that they have a strong hand.
Case card: this is the card needed to complete a certain hand.
Chips: these are the plastic tokens which are used to constitute money in many casino games including poker.
Chop: when players are in a tie the pot which has all the bets will be split to give equal amount to all those in a tie.
Coin flip: this is a metaphor which implies when the competition between players is close with two players have the same likelihood of winning.
Cold call: calling a bet after one or more raises have been made to the original bet. This action of calling identifies as a cold call.
Community cards: these are the cards in the centre of the table which are face up. Community cards consist of the flop, turn, and river cards and can be used by all the players playing.
Connectors: when two cards are in a subsequent order they are known as connectors. These are usually the hole cards.
Continuation bet: usually when a player makes a pre-flop bet it is likely that the always bet on the flop.
Cooler: in an unfortunate scenario where a strong hand loses to an even stronger hand is referred to as cooler.
Cowboys: a pair of kings are commonly called cowboys.
Cut off: the position which is to the immediate right to the dealer button.
D
Dead man’s hand: this hand in poker consists of two black aces and eight. The titular name is because of a famous poker player, Wild Bill who was shot while holding this specific hand.
Dealer: a dealer is a person who manages the game. In casinos, a dealer from the casino allows the players to play instead of playing the role of a dealer. In-home gatherings of poker, the dealer is whoever has the dealer button. They sit out the game and only perform the activities associated with being a dealer.
Deuce: a two is referred to as deuce.
Draw or drawing: in the scenario when a player needs two or fewer cards, they draw in hopes of completing a strong hand.
Drill: three of a kind.
Ducks: a pair of deuces or twos is commonly known as ducks.
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E
Expected value: a simple calculation which determines the average gain on a single dollar which is in the pot.
F
Family pot: an expression most common for players who call instead of folding during a pre-flop.
Favourite: a player who has a likelihood of winning the game.
Fifth street: a secondary name for the rivers card. This is the 5th and the last card in the set of community cards.
Fill up: when a person in poker ‘fills up’ it means they have a full house.
Fish: one of amusing Texas hold’em terms, which is a name given to an amateur player in poker.
Float: in a certain situation where a player wishes to bluff the opponents, they may call the bet to show they own a strong hand. This may cause doubt among other players causing them to consider folding.
Flop: this is a round in poker in which 3 cards are dealt on the table which start the gathering of the community cards.
Flush: this is a hand which consists of 5 cards which all belong to the same suit.
Fold: this is one of Texas hold’em terms which means returning the cards when a player decides that they do not own a strong enough hand to continue.
Four of a kind: a hand in poker which has 4 cards having the same value.
Fourth street: a secondary name for the turn card which is the 4th card in the community cards.
Full house: is a hand in poker which comprises 3 of a kind and a pair.
Full ring: poker tables with 7-10 players.
Free card: in the likelihood when all players proceed to check instead of calling, raising or folding, a new card is added to the community cards at the end of the round. This means all players did not place a bet and ended up seeing a free card.
Free roll: when there is no buy-in for a tournament and participation is free of cost, except of course buying the chips.
Freeze out: when a player runs out of chips they can not buy back into the tournament.
G
Grinder: a grinder is someone who is risk-averse for the most part of the game and plays the game with a strategy which allows for small profits yet long poker sessions.
Gunshot: this refers to when a player needs a single card to complete a straight hand. This card belongs to the middle of the straight order and if it shows up in the turn round it distinguishes as gunshot.
H
Hand: a hand is any set of cards which holds a winning value such as the full house. This consists of the two hole cards and any 3 from the community cards. In some cases, it does not even require the hole cards to make a hand.
Hand history: a basic history of the hands that have been in play in previous games. This helps players keep track of their moves and makes room for improvement.
Heads up: the intense situation when only two players are left at the end of the game. From among these two players, a winner will emerge who will take the pot winnings.
High roller: this is a term which refers to a player who consistently bets large sums of money.
Hijack: this is the position which is second space from the dealer or the right from the cut-off. The hijack player is the one who makes the big blind bet.
Hit and run: a hit and run is considered as poor poker etiquette. This refers to the act of a player leaving the poker table after winning a huge amount of money. The reason the poker community frowns upon this is simply that the other players should have a chance to win back their money.
Hole cards: the two initial cards dealt with the players face down. Hole cards are one of the most common Texas hold’em terms.
Hooks: a pair of jacks will be referred to as hooks in a poker game.
I
Implied odds: these are odds which determine how much money a player will make in case they successfully complete a hand.
In position: in Texas hold’em terms, in position is when a player has the best advantage when it comes to taking a turn. This is usually the last place in a round which allows the player to observe the moves of all the opponents. Keeping this observation in mind the player can make an informed decision.
K
Kicker: a tiebreaker card when players have two or more card hands.
L
Late position: in case a dealer puck lands on someone in-home poker that person will be last to act in the line of action. In the casino, this is simply the person who has the last turn.
Laydown: a second term for fold is lay down.
Limp: after the blind bets are in the pot if a player calls instead of raising, they limp into the pot.
Loose aggressive: a player who forms a variety of hands and calls and raises at any available opportunity.
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M
Made-hand: in Texas hold’em terms a made-hand is a hand which belongs to a strong category and is complete.
Middle position: refers to the seating arrangement as well as the acting order. The middle position is in between the early and late positions.
Muck: this is considered a move as well as a pile. In case a player decides to fold or during a showdown if a stronger hand unveils than the other player has the option of returning cards face down. This is the muck pile. A muck pile, on the other hand, is the discard pile where all cards not in the game go. If a card touches the muck pile and the player wishes to retrieve them after a folding attempt, it will not be possible.
N
No limit: a type of Texas hold’em poker which does not impose any limits on the bets a player can make.
Nuts: the strongest hand in the game among all the players is a nut hand.
O
Odds: the likelihood of an outcome which can be represented using different odds depicting methods.
Off suit: hole cards that belong to different suits.
Open-ended straight draw: the intense situation when a player requires a single card to complete a hand on either end of the successive order.
Orbit: when the dealer button makes one complete round around the table.
Outs: this is the card in poker which will improve the chances of a player winning. The value of this card will differ from player to player depending on which hand they intend to make.
Out of position: a scenario where the player does not get to observe their opponents moves before they can make their own. In poker, this identifies as out of position.
Over bet: a bet which will be more in value than the total amount in the pot at that moment.
P
Pair: a pair is any two cards of the same value. For instance, two 5’s will be a pair.
Play the board: one of Texas hold’em terms which a lot of new players are not familiar with. In an unfortunate scenario where the hole cards are not worth much; the player will be allowed to use the entirety of the community cards in case they are making a hand.
Pocket pair: if a player owns a pair as their two hole cards.
Pocket cards: also famous as the hole cards, these are the two cards which each player receives at the start of the game.
Position: this refers to the playing positions of the players which are predetermined by the dealer puck. Most common playing positions in Texas hold’em terms are the small and big blind places which are immediately next to the dealer button. The names for the positions are early, middle or late depending on the placement of the player.
Pot: a famous name for the bets from all the players throughout the game. The dealer collects the chips from the players and adds them to the pot.
Pot odds: this is a fairly simple concept which deals with the ratio between the size of the pot and the betting amount.
Pot committed: when the pot has more chips than the player’s stack they become committed to the pot and can not fold.
Pre-flop: the pre-flop round, as the name suggests is before the flop round. During the pre-flop round, players receive two cards (hole cards) facedown. They can call, raise, or fold depending on the worth of these cards.
Protect: usually players raise or call in order to eliminate other players by making them fold. This substantially improves their chances of a win. This act identifies as protect in Texas hold’em terms.
Q
Quads: four of a kind cards, which have the same value distinguish as quads.
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R
Rags: a metaphorical name for cards which hold little or no worth and will not be successful in becoming a strong hand.
Rainbow: before the river card (last round) is dealt, if the community cards all belong to different suits then it will be called a rainbow in Texas hold’em terms.
Raise: one of the 4 actions in poker is ‘raise’. When a player places a bet the next in line can raise the bet. This means they will have to double the bet or more. Constantly using the action of raising can consider as an aggressive play.
Rake: since the casinos do not actively play against the players there is little chance to make money on a poker table any other way. Except for when they rake. Rake is when the casino takes out a certain amount of money from the pot after a certain number of hands.
Rake back: some generous casinos offer rewards in the form club membership compensation or promotions to poker players which is usually a portion of the rake amount.
Re-buy: as the name suggests, in case a player runs out of chips or ‘busts out’ they can re-buy their way back into the tournament.
Ring game: a ring game in poker is the one which deals with real money instead of chips.
River: the final straw in the set of community cards is the river card. Also famous as the fifth street, this is the last card which will complete hands for players in some cases.
Royal flush: this is the strongest hand in poker which can not be beaten. This consists of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and ten all belonging to the same suit.
Runner: another name for ‘backdoor’, when someone utilizes the cards available after the turn and river rounds to make a strong hand which beats the opponent’s hand.
S
Scare card: a metaphorical name for a community card which might decrease the chances of a player by offering a stronger hand to their opponent.
Semi bluff: an act of bluff with the intention of betting to bluff but also hoping for an improvement in regards to the hand.
Set: a group of cards including hole and 3 cards of the same rank (3 of a kind).
Shark: a poker player who has exceptional skills and a lot of experience with poker.
Short stack: a player running out of chips will be ‘short stack’.
Shorthanded: a table which has 6 or fewer players.
Showdown: the final moment of truth in poker is known as the showdown. After all the rounds are over, the game proceeds to place the final bets. After these bets, the players still in-game reveal their cards and the stronger hand from among them wins. This entire process is famous as the showdown in Texas hold’em terms.
Side pot: this term comes into play when a player makes the ‘All-in’ move. A side pot comes into creation when more than 2 players are in play. In case the other players are unable to match the bet of the All-in player. Therefore they can continue to bet in the side pot until the showdown. However, it is important to keep in mind that the player who makes the move of All-in will not receive the side pot amount in case of a win since they did not participate in the bets.
Sit and go: a sit and go poker requires 6-10 players all of whom have to buy-in to participate in the tournament. Once the chips run out, this will count as elimination from the tournament.
Slow play: another form of bluffing, but this time a player with a stronger hand does this. This is to make the opponents believe that their adequate hand will win and they raise the bets.
Slow roll: an often disliked playing style is the slow roll. When a player has an unbeatable or an exceptionally strong hand they take a lot of time to make a bet.
Small blind: this is the bet which starts a poker game. A small blind bet is one of the two blinds which amps up the game and gets the pot rolling. The player next to the left of the dealer makes the small blind bet.
Split pot: in the rare situations where both the players have the same hand, the pot is split to divide the winnings.
Squeeze play: this is a rather complex form of the bluff, on the other hand, a lot of players are keen to use it in a game. To simply put, squeeze play is when a player raises after there has already been a raise.
Stack: the pile of chips each player owns.
Straddle: sometimes known as the third blind, a straddle is a volunteer bet which is not compulsory. This bet carries out before the dealer deals the cards.
Straight: this is considered one of the good hands in poker. It consists of five cards in sequential order from any suit.
Straight flush: a straight flush consists of five cards in sequential order with the condition of belonging from the same suit. This is the second-best hand in poker after the royal flush.
Streets: this is the name given to the turn and river round which are the fourth and fifth street respectively.
Suck out: this poker term is used in reference to the underdog player who beats a player with a who was seemingly going to make a stronger hand after a lucky card draw.
Suited: two hole cards belonging to the same suit.
Suited connectors: two cards which belong to the same suit along with the additional advantage of them being in sequential order.
T
Tank: a player tanks when they take a considerable amount of time to decide what move to make.
Tell: in a poker game it is of significant importance to be able to judge the cards of a player by the way they behave during the game. A lot of the players subconsciously let slip the nature of their cards or even their next move.
Three of a kind: cards belonging to the same rank.
Tight: this is a playing strategy in a game of poker which means playing fewer hands and participating only when the chances of obtaining a strong hand is high. Using this strategy a player can stay in the game longer.
Tilt: this is one of Texas hold’em terms which refers to the emotional state of a player after losing a close game. The defeat often renders the player to play aggressively which consequently results in more losses.
Top two: the combination of two pairs, each of which is made with the community cards and the hole cards.
Trips: another term for three of a kind.
Two pair: as the name suggests, two pair means having two pairs in the hand along with any other card from a different rank. These two pairs are a part of the community cards altogether. In some cases they can be made with the aid of the hole cards.
Turbo: a quicker version of the original poker in which there is a limited amount of time and the game has to move at a fast pace than usual. Which means less time for decision making and placing bets.
Turn: this is the fourth round in the game of poker which identifies as the fourth street. In this round, an additional turn card becomes a part of the community cards.
U
Under the gun: another comical term from Texas hold’em terms, is under the gun. This is usually the person who has to place the first bet. It is certainly the most intense position since they do not have any information regarding the hands of other players. In the pre-flop round, the player on the left to the dealer is under the gun.
Underdog: a player who has a less likelihood of winning a game in comparison to their opponent due to the hands in possession.
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V
Value bet: a player can predict a win when they own a strong hand in a game. Keeping this in mind the player can carry out a set of actions which involves value betting. This can motivate the opponent to keep betting, eventually gathering enough in the pot for a big win.
Villain: a humorous term to categorize the opponents in a poker game.
VPIP: this is a statistical measure which determines how much money a player is betting on each action. This is one of the most common techniques in poker. A lot of the tournaments determine these for players who are in-game.
W
Walk: this term refers to the act of all players folding to the big blind, who wins the pot without having to act.
Wheel: the lowest ranking straight which consists of cards from ace to 5.
Whale: a whale is a person who wagers a lot of money infrequent bets. A high roller is another term for the whale.
These Texas hold’em terms will be beneficial for anyone learning the game. Apart from being in the learning process, spectating poker games will make much more sense than they previously did.
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