Positioning is Everything!
Ante
Chips that have to be put into the pot before any cards are seen
All-In
To bet the remainder of your chips on a single bet
Backdoor Draw
Both the turn and river cards make you a good hand.
Bad Beat
Having a weak hand come from behind and beat a big hand.
Big Blind
Player two positions to left of dealer of the hand.
Blank
A board card that doesn’t help any player make a hand.
Board
All the community cards in which players involved in the hand can use.
Bottom Pair
A pair with the lowest card on the board.
Bubble
Only one more player needs to be eliminated before the rest of the tournament field makes money.
Burn
To throw away the top card from the deck before putting a community card on the board.
Button
An object that designates the dealer of the current hand.
Buy-In
The amount of money you pay to enter a tournament.
Call
Matching the most recent bet.
Case Card
The last of the 4 cards of a certain rank in the deck.
Main Pot
The primary pot created during a hand.
Check
Passing your action to the next player without betting.
Check-Raise
To check and then raise a bet wagered later in the betting round when action returns to you.
Clean Out
A card that fills only your hand
Cut-Off
The player who acts one spot to the right of the dealer of the current hand.
Dead Money
A player who has no legitimate chance of winning.
Draw
Having 3 or 4 cards that potentially make a solid 5 card hand if the right cards fall on the turn and river.
Draw Dead
Zero percent chance of winning the hand.
Family Pot
A hand in which all of the players call before the flop.
Fish
A novice player.
Flop
The first three cards face up on the community board.
Free Card
A community card seen without having to bet any your stack
Heads-Up
A hand involving only two players.
Limp
To just call the big blind before the flop.
Live
Your two down cards do not match either of the challenger’s cards.
Maniac
A player who does a lot of unusually aggressive betting and bluffing in numerous hands.
Muck
The pile of folded cards in front of the dealer.
No-Limit
A player may bet any amount of chips
Nuts
The absolute best hand possible given the board.
Out
A card that will give you the best hand.
Overcard
A hole card higher than any card on the board.
Overpair
A pocket pair larger than any possible pair on the flop.
Pocket Cards
The face down cards only you are allowed to look at.
Pocket Pair
Your hole cards that equal the same rank.
Pot-Committed
Being forced to play for the rest of your chips because of the odds given.
Pot Odds
The total in the pot compared to the wager you must see to continue in the hand.
Quads
All four of any rank in the deck.
Ragged
A community board that looks like it missed everyone.
Rainbow
A flop that contains none of the same suit.
Rake
The poker room’s income taken usually before the flop of each hand by the dealer.
Re-buy
An option to buy back into game after you've lost all your chips.
Ring Game
A cash poker game since actual money is in play.
River
The fifth and final community card.
Rock
A player who plays only premium hands
Satellite
A tournament that does not reward cash to its winners, but spots in a subsequent tournament.
Scare Card
A community card that may turn the current best hand into junk.
Second Pair
A pair with the second highest card on the board.
Semi-Bluff
It is a bet or raise with a potential draw.
Set
Three of a kind
Short Stack
The player with the least number of chips at the table.
Showdown
After the river, all players in the hand flip their cards and determine who has the best 5 card hand.
Slow Play
To play a big hand softly to induce more players to stay in the pot.
Small Blind
The player immediately to the right of the dealer of the current hand.
Splash the Pot
Making a mess of your bet instead of placing a stack in front of you.
Split Pot
The pot is divided up and given to 2 or more players because they have equal hands.
Tell
A sign that a player unknowingly gives about the power of his hand, and his next action.
Tilt
To play out of control.
Time
A request to delay play while a player makes a decision.
Top Pair
A pair with the highest card on the community board.
Top Set
The highest possible 3 of a kind.
Top Two
Two pair, with your two hole cards matching the two highest cards on the community board.
Top and Bottom
Two pair, with your two hole cards matching the highest and lowest cards on the community board.
Trips
Three of a kind.
Turn
The community card that falls after the flop.
Under the Gun
The position immediately to the left of the big blind.
Value Bet
A bet that wants a call.
Wheel
A straight including ace through five.
