Whether you are new to poker or a seasoned player, this glossary covers all essential poker terms organized alphabetically.
A
Action - A player’s turn to act, or the overall betting activity in a hand.
All-in - Betting all of your remaining chips in a single action.
Ante - A forced bet every player must post before each hand begins. Common in tournaments.
B
Backdoor - A draw requiring cards on both the turn and river to complete.
Bad Beat - Losing a hand where you were a significant statistical favorite.
Bankroll - Total money set aside for poker. See our bankroll management guide.
Barrel - A bet on successive streets. See bluffing techniques.
Big Blind (BB) - The larger forced bet posted before cards are dealt.
Bluff - Betting with a weak hand to make opponents fold better hands.
Board - The community cards displayed face-up in the center of the table.
Button (BTN) - The dealer position, the most profitable seat. See position guide.
Buy-in - The amount required to enter a game or tournament.
C
Call - Matching the current bet to stay in the hand.
Check - Declining to bet when no bet has been made in the current round.
Check-raise - Checking then raising after an opponent bets.
Community Cards - Cards dealt face up that all players can use.
Continuation Bet (C-bet) - A flop bet made by the pre-flop raiser.
Cooler - Both players hold strong hands and a big pot is unavoidable.
Cut-off (CO) - Position immediately right of the dealer button. Second-best seat.
D
Dealer Button - A disc indicating the dealer position. Rotates clockwise.
Donk Bet - A bet made out of position by the non-aggressor.
Double Up - Winning an all-in to double your chip stack.
Drawing Dead - No possible card can make your hand a winner.
Dry Board - A flop with no obvious draws. Example: K-7-2 rainbow.
E
Equity - Your mathematical share of the pot based on win probability.
Expected Value (EV) - Average win or loss from a decision over the long run.
Exploitative Play - Deviating from GTO strategy to exploit opponent tendencies.
F
Fish - A weak or inexperienced player. Also called a recreational player.
Flat Call - Calling a raise with a strong hand to disguise strength.
Float - Calling a bet with a weak hand, planning to bluff on a later street.
Flop - The first three community cards dealt face up simultaneously.
Flush - Five cards of the same suit. See hand rankings.
Fold - Discarding your hand and giving up the pot.
Fold Equity - Value gained from the chance opponents will fold.
Full House - Three of one rank plus a pair of another rank.
G
GTO (Game Theory Optimal) - A balanced strategy that cannot be exploited.
Grinder - A player who earns steady income through disciplined play.
Gutshot - A straight draw needing one specific rank (4 outs). Also called an inside straight draw.
H
Heads-up - A pot or game between only two players.
Hero Call - Calling a large bet believing your opponent is bluffing.
Hijack (HJ) - Position two seats right of the dealer button.
Hole Cards - The two private cards dealt face down to each player.
HUD (Heads-Up Display) - Software overlaying real-time statistics during online play.
I
ICM (Independent Chip Model) - Assigns monetary value to tournament chip stacks based on payout structure.
Implied Odds - Expected future bets you can win if you complete your draw.
In Position - Acting after your opponent. A significant strategic advantage.
ITM (In the Money) - Finishing in a paying tournament position.
K
Kicker - Highest unpaired card used to break ties between similar hands.
L
Limp - Entering pre-flop by just calling the big blind rather than raising.
M
Main Pot - The central pot all active players can win.
Muck - To fold without showing your hand.
Multi-way - A pot involving three or more players.
N
Nit - An extremely tight player who only plays premium hands.
No Limit (NL) - Players can bet any amount up to their full stack.
Nuts - The best possible hand given the current board.
O
Odds - Probability of an event occurring, often expressed as a ratio.
Off-suit - Hole cards of different suits. Notation: AKo.
Open Raise - The first raise made pre-flop.
Outs - Cards remaining that will improve your hand. A flush draw has 9 outs.
Over-pair - A pocket pair higher than any card on the board.
P
PLO (Pot-Limit Omaha) - A variant with four hole cards. Must use exactly two.
Pocket Pair - Two hole cards of the same rank.
Position - Your seat relative to the button. See position guide.
Pot Odds - Ratio of pot size to the cost of a call.
R
Rainbow - A flop with three different suits, making a flush draw impossible.
Rake - The fee charged by the card room for hosting the game.
Range - All possible hands a player could hold in a given situation.
River - The fifth and final community card.
Royal Flush - A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit. The best possible hand. See hand rankings.
S
Satellite - A tournament awarding entry to a larger, more expensive event.
Set - Three of a kind using a pocket pair plus one matching board card.
Short Stack - Having far fewer chips than the table average.
Showdown - Remaining players reveal hands to determine the winner.
Squeeze - A large re-raise after a raise and one or more calls.
Straight - Five consecutive cards of any suit combination.
T
Tell - A behavior or pattern that reveals information about hand strength.
Tilt - Emotional state causing poor decisions. See bankroll tips.
Top Pair - Pairing your hole card with the highest board card.
Trips - Three of a kind using one hole card and two board cards.
Turn - The fourth community card.
U
Under the Gun (UTG) - First to act pre-flop. Worst position.
V
Value Bet - Betting a strong hand specifically to get called by weaker hands.
Variance - How much results deviate from expected value in the short term.
W
Wet Board - A flop with many draws possible. Example: 9h-8h-6d.
WSOP (World Series of Poker) - The most prestigious poker series. Read our 2026 coverage.
Explore our strategy guides and poker rules for deeper analysis.
