Poker Terms
Below is a list of common
poker terms. Follow the links to jump to the descriptions of each.
Add-on: Typically
available at the end of the rebuy period in a tournament, an Add-on
allows players to pay an addition fee to receive another stack of
chips. Add-ons are
permitted regardless of how many chips the player has, unlike rebuys
which are restricted to when the player has fewer chips than when he
started.
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All-in: A player who
bets
all the chips he or she has left at table. Other players still active
in the hand can bet and raise beyond that player's All-in amount, and
the All-in player is not obligated to meet or call those bets. However,
the All-in player is only eligible to win the pot up to the point it
was when he went All-in and called by all remaining players. Any bets
or raises made beyond that point constitute a side pot which is
contested by those remaining players.
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Ante: More frequently
used
in tournaments than in ring games, an Ante is a force bet made by all
players at the beginning of the hand before the hole cards are dealt.
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Bet: Place chips into the
pot to wager that your hand will beat or tie any other hands.
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Bet
the Pot: Make a bet
equal to the current amount of the pot.
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Betting
Round: A
sequence of bets made by each player in turn going clockwise around the
table. In any given round of bets, the sequence may travel around the
table several times if there are bets, raises, re-raises before there
are calls or checks.
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Big
Blind: A designated
bet (posted before any cards are dealt) made by the player sitting to
the immediate left of the player posting the Small Blind. The Big Blind
is normally (although not always) double the Small Blind and is usually
equal to the minimum bet for the first rounds.
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Blinds: Bets that
must
be made by the two players sitting directly to the left of the dealer.
They are called "Blinds" because they must be made before you have been
dealt your pocket cards. The purpose of Blinds is to create the pot and
entice other players into betting.
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Bluff: To make other
players believe that you have a better hand than you actually have by
betting or raising as if you did have a great hand. By bluffing, you
may induce players with better hands to fold before the showdown and
thus win the pot with a poor hand. Conversely, you might have a great
hand and desire your opponents to stay in the game so they keep adding
to the pot. You can bluff by checking or calling as you would if you
only had a mediocre hand, whereas a big raise might scare them off
prematurely. Either way, bluffing adds a whole new element of
excitement to the game.
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Board: The centre of
the
table is called the Board. This is where the Community Cards (also
called Board Cards) are shown and where the pot sits. If your best
5-card hand consists of just the Community Cards and none of your
Pocket Cards, this is called "playing the Board."
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Burn
a Card: Before
dealing cards in a round (Pocket Cards, the Flop, etc.) the Dealer
"burns a card", meaning he discards the top card of the deck and uses
the next card for the deal.
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Button: The Dealer
Button, a round green disc with a "D" in the centre which is placed in
front of the seat position designated as the Dealer for that hand.
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Buy-in: The amount of
chips you bring to table when you take a seat. Each table has a minimum
buy-in and a maximum buy-in. Usually, the minimum is 10 times the Big
Blind, and the maximum is 100 times the Big Blind.
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Call: To match the
previous bet or raise and not raise any higher.
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Check: To stay in the
hand but not bet or raise. Check allows you to stay in the game at no
additional risk or cost to you. You may only Check if you are the first
player to act in a round of betting or if all preceding players have
Checked.
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Chips: Poker chips,
used
for placing bets at table. When you bring chips to a table, the amount
is deducted from your Account Balance. When you leave a table, the
chips you take away with you are converted back into your Account
Balance.
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Community
Cards
Top
Dead
Blind: A penalty
imposed if the blinds pass your position while you are sitting out from
the table.
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Dealer: The player
in
the seat position from which cards are dealt. The position of the
Dealer is marked by the Button, a green disc with a "D" in the centre.
The player to the immediate left of the Dealer posts the Small Blind,
and the next player posts the Big Blind (which is usually double the
Small Blind).
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Feeder: (Also:
Satellite) A Feeder is a tournament which funnels winners from one
tournament to another. Often, several Feeders are strung together to
create a "tournament ladder" where players can enter for a low cost at
the bottom and win their way into high stakes tournaments.
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Flop: The first three of
the five common cards (which are "flopped" on the table right after the
first betting round is over) are called the Flop, and this starts the
second round of betting.
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Fold: Throw your hand
away
when it is your turn to act. You choose not to meet the required bet to
stay in the hand and forfeit your chance to win any of the pot.
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Get
Chips: Convert more
of your Account Balance into poker chips for continued play at table.
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Hand: The best five
cards
a player can make using any combination of his Pocket Cards and the
Community Cards.
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Hand
of Poker: (Also
called Hand) A single game of poker from Posting Blinds to the Showdown.
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Limit
Poker: A game
of poker with a fixed limit to the amount players can bet, and a
prescribed number of raises. When it is your turn, you may only bet or
raise by an amount equal to the minimum for that round.
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Limits: These are
limits
on the maximum bet or raise. In poker, there are three basic Limit
types: Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit. In general terms, Limit Poker has
a fixed limit to the amount you can bet or raise on your turn
– usually it is the minimum bet for that round. With Pot
Limit, you raise up to the amount in the Pot, and with No Limit you can
raise any amount up to what's left in your chip stack at table.
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Muck: Decline to show
your
cards at the conclusion of a hand. You can choose to muck when there is
a better hand visible at showdown (meaning it is clear you lost), or
when you win because all other players have folded. When you have the
winning hand and there are one or more players still active at the
showdown, you must show your cards.
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No
Limit Poker: A
game of poker where players can bet any amount in any round from the
minimum bet up to the entire chip stack they have at table. Players
cannot bring additional chips to the table from their account balance
during a hand of play, but they can get chips between hands.
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Pocket
Cards: The
cards dealt face down to a player, which only that player can see their
face value. Also known as "down cards" or "hole cards".
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Post
Blinds: To put
up a Blind Bet, either the Small Blind or the Big Blind, before being
dealt your Pocket Cards.
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Pot: The chips wagered by
all players in a hand of poker that are put in the centre of the table
and which will be distributed to the winners of that hand.
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Pot
Limit Poker: A
game where players can bet any amount in any round from the minimum bet
up to the amount currently in the pot.
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Prize
Pool: The Prize
Pool is the cumulative amount of contributions paid by all participants
in a tournament. For example, if a tournament buy-in is $5 + $.50, $5
is contributed to the prize pool by each player and $.50 is the entry
fee paid to the house. If there are 100 participants, the total Prize
Pool is $500 and that amount is distributed to the top finishers in the
tournament. Rebuys and Add-ons, if permitted, also contribute to the
Prize Pool.
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Raise: Meet all
previous
bets in this round and increase your bet beyond that amount so other
players will either have to fold, meet your raise (call) or re-raise.
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Rake: The House cut of
the
pot. This is the small fee charged by the House for serving as an
impartial broker to bring many players together for safe, fair,
regulated games of poker.
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Rank: The value of a
card
relative to other cards (for example, an Ace is of a higher rank than a
King). Also, the value of a player's 5-card hand relative to the hands
of other players (for example, a 3-of-a-kind is of higher rank than a
pair).
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Rebuy: A Rebuy is when
a
player brings more chips to the table. This most often occurs when the
player loses all of the chips he originally brought to the table, but a
player can Rebuy at any time during regular table play up to the
maximum amount allowed at the table. Rebuys are sometimes also allowed
in tournament play, adding a new level of strategic complexity and
excitement.
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Re-Raise: To raise
above
a raise. If the player to your right raises a $2 bet to $4, and then
you raise another $4 on top of that, you are said to "re-raise".
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River: The River is
the
fifth community card on the table and starts the final round of
betting. Also known as "Fifth Street".
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Round
of Betting:
(Also: Round) A sequence of bets made by each player in turn going
clockwise around the table. In any given round of bets, the sequence
may travel around the table several times if there are bets, raises,
re-raises before there are calls or checks. In Hold'em Poker, there are
four rounds of betting. They occur after: The Pocket Deal (Pre-Flop),
the Flop, the Turn and the River. The Blinds are considered to be part
of the Pre-Flop round.
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Satellite:
(Also:
Feeder) Satellite refers to a tournament in which the winner or winners
receive a seat at another tournament instead of a cash prize.
Satellites are popular because they provide players with the chance to
compete in major, high stakes tournaments by winning a tournament with
a much lower buy-in.
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Showdown: After
the
last round of betting has completed, any players left in the hand will
show their cards to determine the winner by laying them down on the
table, face up.
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Side
Pot: A portion of
the pot that is being contested by the remaining players when one or
more players has gone All-in. In a hand of play with several players
going All-in on different rounds, there may be several Side Pots.
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Sit
In: Indicate your
desire to participate in the next hand of play.
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Small
Blind: A
designated bet (posted before any cards are dealt) made by the player
sitting to the immediate left of the Dealer. The Small Blind is
normally (although not always) half the minimum bet of the first
rounds.
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Split
Pot: A pot that
is split between two or more players who have hands of equal rank at
Showdown. This frequently happens when the 5 community cards constitute
the best possible hand. Any remaining players would split the pot
between them.
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Stack: The stack of
chips
you have at table. This is the amount of chips you have available for
betting in the current hand of play.
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Stakes: The minimum
bets
for the table, usually show as two figures separated by a slash (such
as 2/4 or $5/$10). The Stakes give an indication as to how rich a table
is - how fast and high the pots may grow. The higher the stakes, the
richer the table. The first figure is the minimum bet for the first two
rounds (Pre-Flop and Flop), and the second is for the final two rounds
(Turn and River). There are no currency symbols for Free Play table
stakes. The minimum bet in No Limit and Pot Limit games is the same for
all rounds, but the stakes are still represented as two figures ($5/$5).
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Turn: The Turn is the
fourth community card on the table and starts the fourth round of
betting. Also known as "Fourth Street."
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