Poker Glossary: 36 Terms Every Player Should Know

A

Action

Betting activity in a hand, or a tendency toward lots of betting (a 'loose, action table').

All-in

Betting every chip you have left. You can't be forced out of the pot, but you can only win up to your stake from each opponent (a side pot forms for the rest).

Ante

A small forced bet posted by every player before the deal in some games, building the pot to encourage action.

B

Bad beat

Losing a hand you were a strong favourite to win, usually to an unlikely river card.

Big blind

The larger of two forced bets posted before the cards, and the standard unit for measuring stack sizes (e.g. '40 big blinds deep').

Bluff

Betting or raising with a weak hand to make better hands fold.

Board

The community cards dealt face-up in the middle, shared by all players.

Button

The dealer position, marked by a disc. The button acts last after the flop, the most profitable seat at the table.

C

Check

Declining to bet while keeping your hand, passing the action to the next player.

Check-raise

Checking, then raising after an opponent bets — a strong, often trap-setting line.

Cooler

A hand where two very strong holdings collide and the loser was almost always going to lose all their chips.

Continuation bet (c-bet)

A bet on the flop by the player who raised before it, continuing the story of strength.

D

Drawing hand

A hand that isn't yet made but can improve to a strong one, such as four cards to a flush.

E

Equity

Your mathematical share of the pot — the percentage of the time your hand wins if all cards were dealt out.

F

Flop

The first three community cards, dealt at once.

Fold equity

The extra value a bet gains from the chance your opponent folds, separate from the chance you win at showdown.

G

Gutshot

An inside straight draw with only four cards (one rank) to complete it — roughly 16% to hit by the river.

H

Heads-up

Play between just two players — the end of a tournament, or a dedicated 1-v-1 table.

I

Implied odds

Pot odds adjusted for the extra chips you expect to win on later streets if you hit your draw.

K

Kicker

A side card that decides the winner when two players hold the same pair — A-K beats A-Q with a pair of aces.

L

Limp

Calling the big blind rather than raising before the flop, usually a passive, exploitable play.

M

Muck

To discard a hand face-down without showing it.

N

Nuts

The best possible hand given the board — it cannot be beaten.

O

Outs

The cards left in the deck that complete your hand. Multiply outs by ~2 (one card) or ~4 (two cards) for a rough win percentage.

P

Position

Where you sit relative to the button. Acting later (in position) lets you see opponents' actions first — a permanent edge.

Pot odds

The ratio of the current pot to the cost of a call, used to decide whether chasing a draw is profitable.

R

Rake

The small cut a room takes from each pot (or tournament fee) — the house's revenue in poker.

Range

The full set of hands a player could hold in a given spot, rather than one specific guess.

River

The fifth and final community card.

S

Set

Three of a kind made with a pocket pair plus one matching board card — extremely well disguised.

Small blind

The smaller forced bet, posted by the player to the left of the button.

Suited connectors

Two cards of the same suit and adjacent rank (e.g. 8-9 of hearts) — speculative hands that flop strong draws.

T

Tilt

Letting emotion (usually frustration) push you into bad decisions. The fastest way to lose a bankroll.

Turn

The fourth community card, dealt after the flop.

V

Value bet

A bet made to be called by a worse hand, extracting chips when you're ahead.

Variance

The natural swings of results around your true win-rate. High in the short term, irrelevant to a skilled player over the long run.