50 Common Texas Hold’em Poker Terms

New to Texas Hold’em? Poker players use plenty of shorthand, and it can sound confusing at first. This glossary explains 50 common terms in plain English so you can follow the action, understand poker guides, and feel more comfortable at your next home game.

Some expressions are informal or vary by table. House rules and betting structures can also affect how a term is used.

The Cards and the Hand

1. 1. Hole Cards: The two private cards dealt face down to each player.
2. 2. Community Cards: The five face-up cards placed in the middle for everyone to use.
3. 3. The Board: Another name for the community cards.
4. 4. Flop: The first three community cards, dealt together after the first betting round.
5. 5. Turn: The fourth community card.
6. 6. River: The fifth and final community card.
7. 7. Showdown: When remaining players reveal their cards to determine the winner.
8. 8. Kicker: A side card used to break a tie between otherwise matching hands. For example, a pair of aces with a king kicker beats a pair of aces with a queen kicker.
9. 9. The Nuts: The best possible hand given the cards currently available.
10. 10. Draw: A hand that needs one or more future cards to become a stronger made hand, such as a flush draw.

Table Positions and Setup

1. 11. Button: A marker showing the nominal dealer position. After the flop, the button is generally last to act.
2. 12. Small Blind (SB): The forced bet posted by the player immediately left of the button.
3. 13. Big Blind (BB): The larger forced bet posted by the player left of the small blind.
4. 14. Blinds: The required bets posted before the cards are dealt.
5. 15. Ante: A forced contribution, usually paid by each player before a hand. Antes are common in tournaments.
6. 16. Position: Where you sit in relation to the button and the order of action. Acting later can provide more information about opponents’ decisions.
7. 17. Under the Gun (UTG): The first player to act before the flop, immediately left of the big blind.
8. 18. Cutoff (CO): The seat immediately to the right of the button.
9. 19. Stack: The chips a player has available in front of them.
10. 20. Buy-in: The amount required to enter a tournament or sit down in a cash game.

Betting Actions

1. 21. Check: Pass the action without betting when no bet is currently required to continue.
2. 22. Bet: Put chips into the pot as the first wager of a betting round.
3. 23. Call: Match the current bet to continue in the hand.
4. 24. Raise: Increase the amount of the current bet.
5. 25. Fold: Give up your hand and stop competing for the pot.
6. 26. All-in: Bet all the chips you have in front of you. If other players have more chips, a side pot may be created.
7. 27. Limp: Enter the pot before the flop by calling the big blind rather than raising.
8. 28. Check-raise: Check, then raise after another player bets during the same betting round.
9. 29. 3-bet: A re-raise. Before the flop, this usually means raising after an opening raise.
10. 30. 4-bet: A raise made after someone has already 3-bet.

Strategy and Betting Concepts

1. 31. Bluff: A bet or raise with a hand unlikely to be best, hoping a better hand will fold.
2. 32. Semi-bluff: A bet or raise with a drawing hand that may improve to a strong hand if called.
3. 33. Value Bet: A bet made because you expect worse hands to call often enough to make it worthwhile.
4. 34. Continuation Bet (C-bet): A flop bet by the player who was the aggressor before the flop.
5. 35. Pot: All the chips wagered in the hand that are available to be won.
6. 36. Pot Odds: The relationship between the amount you must call and the total pot you could win. Players use it to help judge whether a call is worthwhile.
7. 37. Outs: Cards remaining in the deck that are expected to improve your hand.
8. 38. Implied Odds: The additional chips you might win on later betting rounds if you complete your draw.
9. 39. Range: The set of hands a player could reasonably have in a particular situation.
10. 40. Equity: Your estimated share of the pot based on the chance your hand will win or tie if the remaining cards are dealt.

Common Slang and Situations

1. 41. Bad Beat: A loss in which a hand that was a strong favorite ends up losing after later cards change the result.
2. 42. Cooler: A situation where a very strong hand runs into an even stronger one and is difficult to avoid losing chips.
3. 43. Tilt: Emotional frustration that affects a player’s decisions.
4. 44. Fish: Informal, often unkind slang for a player considered inexperienced or weak.
5. 45. Shark: Slang for a skilled or experienced player.
6. 46. Freeroll: A situation where a player cannot lose the hand outright but may win more or share the pot depending on the runout. The term also describes tournaments with no entry fee.
7. 47. Split Pot: A pot divided between two or more players whose hands tie for the best hand.
8. 48. Side Pot: A separate pot created when at least one player is all-in and others continue betting. The all-in player can win only the pot they were eligible to match.
9. 49. Rabbit Hunting: Asking to see cards that would have come after a hand ended, even though those cards do not count. Some games prohibit it.
10. 50. Orbit: One complete trip of the button around the table, so each seat has had the button once.

Keep Learning

You do not need to memorize every term before playing. Start with the betting actions, table positions, and names of the community cards. The rest will become more familiar as you watch hands and play.

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