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Poker Glossary

<div>All-in All-in is considered the most exciting play in poker. At any time, a player who is partaking in a hand can move all of his chips in at anytime. This is also referred to push as the player physically pushes all of his chips into the pot. Backdoor Draw A backdoor draw is when an a player needs both the turn and river (running cards) to complete a flush or straight. In this case if two running hearts are needed to make a flush or a jack and ten to make a straight. Typically backdoor draws should be avoided because the probability of them occurring is very unlikely. Bet A bet involves a player taking initial action within a betting round placing his chips into the pot. Any remaining players have the option to fold, call or raise. Bets are restricted in Limit-Holdem depending on the table stakes while in No Limit Holdem a player can move all-in at anytime. Big Blind The big blind is a forced bet placed by a single person every hand to induce the action on the first round of betting. The big-blind is typically twice the value of the small blind (ie. BB is 10 and SB is 5) and the blinds rotate clockwise every hand. The big blind also establishes a minimum bet that can be placed within a betting round. Bluff A bluff is a bet or raise made from a player who thinks their hand is inferior to their opponent(s). Bluffing is often considered an aggressive play and is typically planned out given an opponents strategy. Unlike semi-bluffing where a player makes an aggressive play knowing he is betting with a drawing hand, bluffing is often done with knowledge it is unlikely that the players hand will improve to become the best hand. Board/Community Cards The board is often referred to as the community cards that are used by players in conjunction with their 2 hole cards. The term on board applies to a player who has a made pair with the community cards. Button The button is used to determine where the dealing starts at the beginning of a hand and keeps the play in an orderly fashion. The button gives players an idea where opponents are in terms of position. The button is considered to be the best position as the player who is on the button is typically the last to act and can make decisions based on their opponents decisions. Call Calling is the act of putting an equal value chips in the pot to a prior raiser/better who has forced the action. Check If there has been no previous betting during a betting round, you may check which is essentially passing the action over to the next player who has the option to either check or bet. If a bet is made, you may only call, raise or fold. Dead money Dead money typically refers to players who are considered to be loosing players and will likely play a passive game. In recent tournaments with large fields, professionals will often denounce the majority of the field as dead money. Draws In texas-holdem a draw implies that a player has made a potentially strong hand. Flush draws and straight draws are most common and players can often capitalize on these hands to win substantial pots. Fold The act of discarding a players hole cards with a bet or raise from previous action. Hole Cards Every player receives 2 cards hole cards at the beginning of each hand. Nuts On a given board, it is the best possible hand that can be made at a given time. Preflop This is the first betting round that occurs before the community cards are shown. The flop, turn and river the respective betting rounds that follow. Rainbow flop A rainbow flop describes the flop as 3 different suites and hence no flush draws can be made with a players two hole cards. Raise/Re-raise During a betting round a player can opt to place in more chips than a previous better. For example, if the blinds are $1/$2 and a player raises to $6, another player has the option to re-raise to $12 or higher. Rake The rake is the percentage or set numerical value taken by the house during a pot. Typically this is 2-5% depending on the game type. River The river is the card is the last and final of the 5 community cards to be shown. It is followed by the last round of betting. Table Stakes Table stakes are typically denominated by 2 numerical values. In NL these are equivalent to the blinds, for example $1/$2 NL refers to the small blind as $1 and the big blind as $2. In Limit holdem, if the table stakes are $2/$4, the blinds are actually $1/$2 and the minimum bets preflop/flop are $2, while the turn and river are $4. Table stakes are a great way to assess the appropriateness and skill level of the game for you. This is not always true but often at higher stakes the opponents are stronger. Tell A tell is an indication given to another player through the form of a body movement or mannerism. These indications can various meanings which can be interpreted by opponents to detect strengths or weaknesses of a hand. Tilt Tilting occurs when a player is emotionally unprepared or uneducated about the game and becomes upset and starts making irrational decisions. Under the gun Also coined UTG, is the position of a player in the pre-flop betting round that is directly after the big blind big and is the first person to act in a hand. </div>