Holdem Terms

Holdem is an incredibly popular version of poker. Individuals interested in learning the game or who are just starting out, will need to familiarize themselves with common poker-related terms. A failure to do will result in those players struggling to fully understand and successfully participate in poker games. Below, we have listed a fairly large number of holdem terms. Please note, this is only a partial list and not an exhaustive one.

Action: An action is when a player chooses to stay in a hand.

Ante: Antes are sometimes required of players prior to play beginning. An ante is a small amount of money that each player puts into the pot. It is not a bet.

All In: When a person goes all-in, they are placing all of their chips in the pot.

Bankroll: This is the amount of money a player has to wager with.

Bet the Pot: When a person bets the pot they are making a wager equivalent to the amount of money in the pot.

Big Blind: The size of the big blind is oftentimes equivalent to the small bet. It is given by the person to the left of the big blind or the individual sitting two seats away from the dealer.

Blind: The blind is a small, forced bet. There are two, the small blind and the big blind.

Bluff: A person bluffs when they pretend their hand is better then what it really is.

Burn Card: This is the card at the top of the stack that the dealer gets rid of in order to prevent cheating. The dealer does this prior to the flop, turn and river.

Buy In: This is the required amount of cash a player must pay in order to participate in a game.

Call: When a person calls, they are agreeing to put into the pot the same amount of money as his or her opponents in that round have

Check: When person checks, they don’t bet. However, they still have the option to call or raise.

Check Raise: After a person has checked and someone after them wagers, a check raise is a raise of that bet. It is a legitimate tactic, allowed at most casinos.

Chop: A poker table chops when everyone at the table decides to stop the game and split the pot with the remaining players.

Community Cards: These are the cards placed in the middle of the table by the dealer. They are used by each player, along with their hole cards, to make their final hand.

Dealer Button: This is a marker given to the dealer so that everyone else at the table knows who he or she is.

Early Position: The first persons to bet in a round.

Fast Play: When a person fast plays, they are playing very aggressively.

Fifth Street: This is the point in the game when the 5th community card is placed on the board.

Flop: The flop occurs when three of the eventual five community cards are placed face up on the table.

Flush: This is a hand in which each card is from the same suit.

Fourth Street: This is the point in the game where the fourth community card is placed on the board. It is also referred to as the Turn.

Free Roll Tournament: This is a tournament which does not require entry fees but still pays out cash and/or prizes.

Heads Up: This is one-on-one play and may occur when there are only two players remaining in a tournament.

Late Position: These are the individuals who play late in a round. They are generally regarded as having an advantage over those players who play early.

Limit Game: This is a particular version of poker that restricts the amount of money a person can wager or raise by the current blind.

Middle Position: The individuals play in the middle of a round, in between the early and late position players.

Muck: To muck a hand is to fold.

Nuts: A great hand

Pocket Cards: Also known as the hole cards. These are the two cards each player receives. They are to use these, along with the five community cards, to make their final hand.

Pot: The money at stake in a poker game.

Short Stack: A players is short staked when their chip count is low in relation to the other players.

Tilt: When a player plays on tilt, they are often playing off of negative emotion and without thinking objectively.