Texas Holdem Terms And Definitions

All-in

If you bet all your chips at any point, you are considered as having gone 'All-in.' This can happen either when you don't have enough chips to make a required or elective bet, or when you bet all your chips as a strategic move in No Limit games. Having gone All-in gives you the potential to win a share of the pot up to and including your last contribution to that pot. You cannot share in any bets added above and beyond that point. These bets form a side-pot. The all-in is also used for situations where a player in a hand loses connection to the server.

'Going all-in with your chips occasionally ends with your going all out of the game.'

Ante

An ante is a mandatory bet paid equally by all players prior to a poker hand being dealt. Antes are always found in stud and razz poker games (where there are no blinds), and also quite frequently in the later stages of No Limit Hold'em tournaments to encourage more action. Antes are also available at select No Limit Hold'em cash tables.

Avatar

A term from computer gaming for an image or figure used to represent a person.

Away-from-table

In tournaments, you may not 'sit out'. Rather, you may be 'away-from-table' which means you are dealt into every hand, posting blinds when it's your turn, and then folded when there is a raise before the flop, or a bet after the flop. When you are in a tournament and need to leave, time-out, or lose your connection, you are automatically marked as 'away-from-table'.

Back Bet

A 'Back Bet' is a bet on something to happen (a prop bet) – a horse to win a race, a football team to win, or in poker's case, winning a hand with the hole cards 27 offsuit. It's just like a poker prop bet that you would regularly place in live games at casinos or with friends.

Bad Beat

This term refers to a heavy favorite in a hand who loses to an opponent who was a severe underdog statistically speaking.

Bet the Pot

This term is used in pot limit games. It means your bet matches the current amount in the pot. If, when your turn to bet, the pot was at $217, and you bet the pot, your bet is $217.

Big Blind

The big blind is the bigger of two forced bets, ensuring that there is money in the pot. The small blind is placed by the player to the left of the dealer and the big blind is then posted to the small blind's left. Generally, the big blind is equal to the minimum bet. In a $5/$10 limit game, for example, the big blind is $5.

Blind

This term refers to the required bets, called the small blind and the big blind used to put money into play. The blinds are mandatory bets and rotate around the table.

Board

The community cards in Hold'em are collectively known as the board.

Burn

In physical poker rooms, the top card of the deck is discarded prior to each round of dealing. The intent is to minimize the risk of cheating by knowing the next card. There is no possibility of this happening in our poker room, therefore we do not burn cards.

Button

A marker, usually disk-shaped, to indicate which player is the virtual dealer. The button is used in games where position relative to the dealer is important.

Buy-in

The amount of money required to sit down at a poker game. Tournament entry fees are considered the 'buy-in.' At a ring game, there is a minimum and a maximum buy-in, defining how much money you can bring to the table.

Call

When a player matches the prior bet on the table, that action is termed the call.

Cap

The last permitted raise in a betting round is called the cap. We allow three raises beyond the initial bet in limit games. The third raise is the cap.

Check

If there is no bet on the table and you do not wish to place a bet, that action is termed a check. You may only check when there are no prior bets.

'If you check, you're still in the hand. A check is not a bet, but also not a fold.'

Client

The term for the software that you download to your computer, allowing you to interact with the poker room's servers.

Collusion

A form of cheating where two or more players attempt to gain an unfair advantage by sharing information. We do not tolerate cheating.

'Cheaters and colluders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law'

Community Cards

Face up cards on the table that are shared by all players are termed community cards. Texas Hold'em and Omaha always have community cards.

Dead Blind

In a situation where you have missed your blinds and wish to re-enter the game before your turn to post the big blind. You must post both blinds and the small blind is termed a dead blind, meaning it does not count towards calling a bet.

Dead Hand

A hand no longer in the game.

Down Cards

The face-down cards dealt to a player, also termed hole cards.

Drawing Dead

This describes the situation when a player is trying to draw a card to complete a hand when there is already a hand that will beat it, even if made.

Drop

To drop your hand when you decide not to go further with your hand; to return your cards to the muck. Same as fold.

Face Down

Dealt cards that are not visible to other players.

Face Up

Dealt cards that are visible to all players.

Fixed Limit Poker

In a fixed limit poker game, the amount you can bet or raise is fixed for each round of betting. For example, if you're playing a $2-$4 fixed limit Texas Hold'em game, every player can only bet or raise $2 during the first two rounds of betting, and can only bet or raise $4 during the last two rounds rounds of betting. To understand this better, plese refer to our article: In Praise of Fixed Limit Poker.

Flop

In Texas Hold'em, the set of 3 face-up community cards or the first three cards on the board, all dealt at the same time.

Flush

Any 5 cards in one hand that are all the same suit.

Fold

Withdraw from further participation in the current hand. Also see drop.

Forced Bet

A mandatory bet. In certain games, a player is required to bet, having sat-in the game.

Four of a Kind

A great hand ... all 4 of one rank. For example, 4 Tens.

Freeroll

This term applies to poker tournaments where the entry fee, the stakes, or both the entry fee and stakes are waived. In some non-freeroll tournaments, the house may guarantee a minimum prize pool.

'A freeroll is a tournament that every player can afford to play.'

Full House

A hand in which you have a combination of 3 of a kind, and a pair.

Hand

A set of cards used by a player during a single round. Another word for a single round of shuffling, dealing, and betting.

Hand for Hand (h4h)

The end stage of a multi-table tournament where play is coordinated across all tables to prevent players from slow-playing in order to gain an advantage and move up in the prize structure. The Hand for Hand mechanism is usually employed at the stage when the amount of the prize money is due to increase. Typically, players will need to wait at their table until the action on a hand is completed at another table before a new hand is dealt. When a player is eliminated from the tournament and the higher prize level is reached, Hand for Hand action stops, only to resume when the next prize level increase is reached. When playing Titan Poker tournaments, players see a notification indicating that they are in Hand for Hand mode.

Heads Up

A game where only two players remain in contention for the pot.

Head to Head

A game where only two players may participate.

High Card

The card with the highest rank.

High/Low

A variation of a game where the pot is split between the best hand and the worst hand. The worst hand is comprised of the 5 lowest cards. Most poker rooms, including this one, consider 5, 4, 3, 2, A (the wheel) as the lowest possible hand, despite it also being a straight.

Hold'em

Also called Texas Hold'em. One of the most popular poker games. Each player gets 2 down cards and can use 3,4, or 5 of the community cards.

Hole Cards

The down cards in a player's hand.

In

A term for being an active player; one who has not folded.

Inside Straight

The term applied when a player has 4 of 5 cards needed for a straight with the missing card being inside the sequence rather than at either end, and gets the missing card. For example, a player holding 3, 4, 5, 7 needs a 6 to complete the straight. Getting that 6 is termed 'making the inside straight.'

Jackpot

A bonus opportunity to win under specific circumstances set by the poker room.

Kicker

The term for the card used to break ties between two of a kind or between Two Pair.

Live Blind

A forced bet put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt. The 'live' means those players still have the option of raising when the action gets back around to them.

Main Pot

The initial pot of money. When one or more players go all-in, a side pot is created for each all-in player.

Muck

As a noun, this refers to the pile of folded cards and discarded cards. As a verb, at showdown time, the act of returning a losing hand to the dealer facedown.

Multi-Entry Tournaments

Multi-Entry Tournaments (MET) allow players to register to play at multiple tables at a single tournament to increase their winning potential. Each of the entries to an MET has a separate chip stack and is played simultaneously. Players can either register multiple times simultaneously or only enter again if they get eliminated.

Multi-Table Tournament (MTT)

A tournament where players at more than one table compete, starting with equal numbers of chips, until one player has won all the chips. Prize payouts are a function of the number of entrants, and are posted on the tournaments page. Multi-table tournaments have a posted start time, and require registration in advance.

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Nice hand.

No Limit

A variation of the betting rules in which each bet is unlimited up to the number of chips a player has on the table (NL).

'No-limit Hold'em: Hours of boredom followed by moments of sheer terror' Tom McEvoy

No Limit Hold'em

The most popular variety of poker, featuring unlimited betting. Most poker tournaments, both online and live, are played in the No Limit Hold'em format.

Omaha

A game in which each player receives 4 facedown cards and shares 5 community cards. The winning hand must use exactly 2 down cards and 3 community cards.

Omaha High/Lo

This game allows players to compete for a pot split between the highest and the lowest hands using 2 down cards and 3 community cards. A player may use different sets of cards to make up the best high and the best low hands.

On the button

This term means you are in the dealer position in Texas Hold'em and Omaha games.A 'button' marks the dealer position with a 'D' in the center.

Pair

This is a hand where the player's best hand is made up of 2 cards of the same rank.

Pass

Can be used in place of either check or fold depending on the context.

Play Chips

The chips used for play money games. Play chips have no monetary value.

Playing the Board

Using all the community cards in Hold'em as your best hand.

Pocket Cards

The term for the two down cards at the start of the hand.

Pot

The chips available to be won in any given hand.

'A multi-way pot is one where there are three or more players left in the hand vying for the pot.'

Pot Limit

A variation on betting where each player may bet up to the current amount in the pot (PL).

Profile

A term describing the information a player may enter about himself/herself that may be available, at the player's option, to other players in the poker room.

Raise

The act of increasing the amount bet by a prior bettor.

Rake

The amount of money, in chips, taken by the house as the service fee in a ring game when the pot reaches a minimal amount.

No flop, no drop = Rake is not charged if a hand has ended before the flop cards have been dealt.

Raked Hand

A Raked Hand is any hand in ring game play in which a player participates by contributing to the pot, either by posting a blind or a bet, and rake is generated.

Rank

The value of a card. The rank of the 2 of Spades is 2. The rank of the Queen of Hearts is Queen. Rank value increases from 2 through 10, followed in order by Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. In High/Low games, the Ace may be used both for its high rank and as the lowest rank card.

Re-buy

To get more chips during a game but not during a hand that you are in. This applies to real money and tournament play.

Reducing

The act of removing chips from a table and returning immediately with fewer chips. Reducing is considered poor etiquette.

Re-Entry Tournaments

Re-Entry Tournaments (RET) allow players to re-register after they are eliminated, simply by buying back in. As a result, more players participate at the tournament tables and prize pools grow larger.

River

The fifth and final community card. This card is also known as Fifth Street.

Round

This refers to the dealing of a set of cards and associated betting. For example, the dealing of the river and the bets that follow are a round.

Royal Flush

The best possible high hand. This is a straight flush from 10 through to Ace of the same suit.

Satellite

A preliminary poker tournament awarding seat(s) to a larger, more important tournament.

Screen Name

The identity you select by which you are known in the poker room. We only allow one player per screen name so please understand if the one you have selected is already taken.

Server

The computer, or set of computers, providing a service to client computers. In this case the service is the poker room.

Showdown

After the final bet, when all players show their hands or muck, is known as the showdown.

Side Pot

This is a pot created when a player goes all-in. The side pot is the pot available to those players not all-in at that point. There can, on occasion, be more than one side pot.

Sit 'N' Go

A poker tournament which starts as soon as the required number of poker players sit down at the table. Sit 'n' go tournaments are usually single table tournaments, however, there are multi-table tournaments that are considered sit 'n' go tournaments and which start play as soon as all available seats are filled.

Single Table Tournament (STT)

A poker tournament taking place at just one table. All players buy-in with an equal amount and the buy-in money goes to the prize pool. The prize pool is returned to the top finishers per the payout table on the tournaments page. A fee is normally required to play at this table. Players are staked to equal numbers of chips and play until one player has won all the chips.

Sit Out

We permit you to hold your seat at a table while not participating in some hands. Under most conditions, we limit the time you may sit out. In blind games, you may be asked to post the equivalent of the blind if you return to your seat prior to the blind reaching you. To sit out you click a check box on the table screen. To return, you unclick the 'sit out' check box.

Small Blind

In Hold'em and Omaha, this is the mandatory bet required of the player to the left of the dealer.

Stakes

In Limit games, Stakes are the fixed amount for bets and raises.

Steel Wheel

If a player holds a five high straight flush, (5-4-3-2-A), it is commonly called a 'steel wheel'.

Straight

A hand in which the player has five cards in rank order. Suit does not matter. For example, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen.

Straight Flush

A straight all of the same suit.

Stud

The generic term for poker games where players receive the first card(s) down followed by some up cards where those up cards are exclusively for the use of that player. There may be a further down card as in 7 Card Stud.

'Hold'em is to Stud, what chess is to checkers'

- Johnny Moss

Suit

Any of the four sets (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades) in a deck of cards.

Texas Hold'em

The poker game where each player gets two down cards followed by five community cards face-up.

Three of a kind

A hand consisting three cards of the same rank.

Tournament Buy-In

The cost to enter a tournament. All buy-in money is returned to the players via the prize pool.

Tournament Entry-Fee

A small fee the house charges to enter a tournament.

Trips

A nickname for three of a kind.

Turbo

A form of poker play with minimal time to make decisions.

Turn

The nickname for the fourth community card in Hold'em and Omaha.

Two Pair

A hand in which the player has two pairs of cards.

Under-raise

This occurs when a player raises a prior bet but has to go all-in to do so with an amount less than the full raise.

Up Card

A card dealt face up, so that all players may see it.

Wheel

A nickname for the best low hand 5, 4, 3, 2, A.