Poker Terminology – For Beginners & Advanced

We have been living in the all “new and digital world”, where you need a device like a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone in your hand, to indulge in some of the most entertaining activities like playing poker. Also, the poker games not only promise you the most fun time, but you will end up making a handsome amount of money too. Before playing the Poker game you should be well known with the poker terms.

It is  hugely demanded that card game needs luck as well as skill. You need to use your memory, devise a strategy, get innovative, control your body language, and remain attentive while playing the game. Poker is a game that hones cognitive skills, logical thinking, analytical skills, and interpersonal skills. It also aims to keep the brain sharp.

Contrary to your belief that poker is a challenging game to learn, you must know that poker game has easy rules that are simple to understand. However, it may take some time to become a pro at it. One of the things that poker beginners also need to learn is the poker terminologies used in the game. It is important to know and learn them to be actually good at playing and understanding poker. It is also essential because it builds your image as an advanced poker player.

Here is all that you need to know about poker terminologies. At first, you may feel a little daunted by all the poker terms but gradually, with more practice and knowledge, you will learn them by heart.

Poker terms

Poker terms are the words or phrases often used before, after, and while playing the poker game. Most advanced players use these terms to convey a specific meaning. To take your game further, and become a part of an advanced poker-playing team, you need to learn these poker terms.

Poker terms list

There are many poker terms and phrases that you need to know and learn to understand the game lingo. Becoming aware of such a language in the game will help you make your game better, enjoy it more, strengthen your fundamentals of poker, and have a better time while playing with veterans. This will also help you develop your communication skills with your opponents and make it simpler. It will also boost your confidence when you start playing high-stakes poker games.

Poker Beginner terms list

Here we list all the poker terms along with their definitions for beginners. This glossary of the most-used poker terminology will help you know the most common poker words, phrases, slang, and expressions. So, you can find a full poker term list including sayings from the most extensive poker dictionary here.

Action

Action is one of the most common poker terminologies. This term means that the player can play a hand either by betting, checking, calling, folding, or raising the hand. When the players are done betting, they need to show the cards to the dealer, which is another action in poker.

Ante

Another most common and important term to know about, Ante is the amount of money or poker chips that the player needs to pay at the time of starting the game. The player needs to contribute this amount to get the poker cards.

All-In

All-In is the bet in which a player puts all the money or poker chips on the table. Usually, a player goes for All-In when he does not have enough poker chips for betting. This also indicates that the player is confident that he will win the hand. He might also be bluffing.

Blind

Blinds is a forced or mandatory bet in the game. This betting is done by the player sitting left to the dealer button. There are two types of blinds in Poker game – Big Blind and Small blind. The player who is seated to the left of the dealer button needs to pay a small blind and the player sitting to the left of the player paying the small blind needs to pay the big blind amount.

Buy-In

Buy-In is what the players need to pay to play the SnG or Sit & Go tournaments. More the buy-, the more the prize pool.

Check

Check is one of the actions the players take in a poker game. It means that the player does not want to take any action in the game such as bet, fold, or raise.

Raise

Raise is an action that means a player wants to increase the bet amount in the game. A player can raise as many times as he wants in case of a no-limit game. The minimum raise is the amount of the previous bet.

Check-Raise

A check-raise in poker is also a common scenario. It means that the player checks early in a betting round considering some other player opens the round. Check-raise is a kind of tactic used by many players to make their opponents think that they don’t have a strong hand.

Dealer

A dealer is a person who is responsible for distributing the cards and managing poker actions during the game.

Fold

The fold is also an action that means that the players wish to discard their cards. This is done when they don’t have good cards and hence, do not want to place any more bets in the game.

Also Read: What is bet, check, fold, and call in poker?

Hand

Hand in poker is the set of five-card combinations. The player making the best hand in the game wins all the money in the pot.

Pot

Pot is the total sum of money. It is composed of the chips or money the players make during a game. The player who wins the game wins the pot amount.

Heads-Up

When there are only two players left in the poker game, then this game is called a heads-up game.

Chips

Poker chips or chips are the currency used in poker games. There can be different chips that denote different values. The same is also known as casino tokens.

Bet

Bet in poker is the first action in the game when the player puts the chip in the pot.

Flop

Flop is a round in poker games like Texas Holdem when the dealer puts three cards and community cards face down on the table. These three cards can be seen by all the players playing at the table.

Turn

When the flop round is done, the betting round happens. After completing this betting round, the dealer deals with another community card on the table, which is called the Turn card.

River

After the turn card is played with, another betting round is complete. Once that betting round is over, the dealer deals the last community card face-up on the table which is called the river card.

High Card

A high card is a poker hand ranking in which the player does not make any significant hand.

A Pair

A pair or one pair is a poker hand ranking in which the player gets two of the same value cards.

Three of a kind

Three-of-a-kind is a poker hand ranking in which the player gets a hand containing 3 cards of the same value.

Straight

Straight is a poker hand ranking with a continuous sequence of cards in different suits.

Flush

Flush in poker hand ranking with all the cards in the same suit.

Full House

Full House is a poker hand ranking having a combination of three of a kind and a pair.

Four of a kind

Four-of-a-kind is a poker hand ranking with 4 types of the same cards and an extra card.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is a poker hand ranking with 5 continuous cards of the same suit.

Royal Flush

Royal Flush is the poker hand ranking with cards A, K, Q, J, and 10.

Advanced Must-Know Poker Terms

These advanced terms are also a must-know in poker, and worth learning. Here are those poker terms explained. 

Backdoor

Backdoor means taking both the turn and river card to make a drawing hand.

Bad Beat

This term means that a player who is supposed to win the round loses the round to another player with a higher hand.

Calling Station

Calling station who keeps calling the bets and hardly raises.

Draw Dead

Draw dead is when there is no chance of winning for a player.

Fish

Fish means a player who is new to poker and has no experience.

Kicker

The kicker is the card that is not involved in determining the rank of the hand.

Muck

Muck means the discarded pile in which the players throw their discarded hands.

Offsuit

Offsuit means the starting hands of different suits.

OnSuit

Onsuit are starting hands with the same suits.

Rainbow

Rainbow means flop cards with different suits.

Rake

Rake is a poker term that is often used in the game. It means the fees or commissions the players need to pay after winning the game.

Sit And Go

Sit and Go is a tournament that has a fixed starting time.

Wrapping up

While it may take time for you to become an expert in the poker game, do not hesitate to endeavor to match your goals the soonest! Whether it is a poker game or any other sport, you will have to go through the learning curve, to reach the end of your journey successfully. You need to begin learning this poker terms list to ace the poker tournament.

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