Poker Glossary
This glossary defines 147 poker words in plain English, each with a one-line definition and an example you can picture.
- Cards & Hands42 words
- How a Hand Plays25 words
- Betting24 words
- Seats9 words
- Pot Math12 words
- Reading Bets29 words
- Player Types6 words
Learn the words by playing, five minutes at a time
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Cards & Hands 42
Pair, Straight, Flush, Full house and more
- PairTwo cards of the same rank.
- StraightFive ranks in a row, in mixed suits.
- FlushFive cards of one suit, not in a row.
- Full houseThree of a kind plus a pair.
- KickerA leftover card that breaks a tie between two hands of the same type.
- NutsThe best possible hand on this board right now.
- Suit
- Rank
- Hand
- Hand rankings
- High card
- Two pair
- Three of a kind
- Four of a kind
- Straight flush
- Royal flush
- Wheel
- Broadway
- Pocket rockets
- Cowboys
- Ladies
- Hooks
- Snowmen
- Ducks
- Big slick
- Split pot
- Texas Hold'em
- Hole cards
- Board
- The board plays
- Pocket pair
- Suited
- Offsuit
- Set
- Trips
- Overpair
- Top pair
- Middle pair
- Bottom pair
- Underpair
- Made hand
- Suited connector
How a Hand Plays 25
Button, Blinds, Flop, Showdown and more
- ButtonA disc that marks the dealer’s seat.
- BlindsTwo forced bets posted before the cards are dealt, so every pot has something in it to win.
- FlopThe first three board cards, dealt face up together.
- ShowdownAfter the last bet, the players still in show their cards. The best five-card hand wins.
- PotAll the chips bet in a hand.
Betting 24
Check, Raise, All-in, 3-bet and more
- CheckPass without betting. You can only check when nobody has bet yet this round.
- RaiseMake the current bet bigger. Everyone else must match the new amount, raise again or fold.
- All-inBetting every chip you have left.
- 3-betThe first re-raise.
- Check-raiseChecking, then raising after someone else bets.
Seats 9
Position, UTG, Cutoff, Late position and more
- PositionWhere you sit compared with the button, which decides when you act.
- UTGUnder the gun: the seat just left of the big blind, first to act preflop.
- CutoffThe seat just right of the button: the second-best seat at the table.
- Late positionThe cutoff and the button: you act after most of the table.
Pot Math 12
Pot odds, Odds, Flush draw, OESD and more
- Pot oddsThe price of a call: your call ÷ everything in the middle once you call.
- OddsA price or a chance said as one amount against another, like 4 to 1.
- Flush drawFour cards of one suit, one short of a flush. It has 9 outs.
- OESDOpen-ended straight draw: four ranks in a row that a card at either end completes, 8 outs.
- GutshotA straight draw missing one rank in the middle. It has 4 outs.
Reading Bets 29
Range, Combo, Board texture, Blocker and more
- RangeAll the hands a player could have, given everything they have done so far.
- ComboOne exact pair of hole cards.
- Board textureHow the board cards fit together: how many draws and strong hands they make possible.
- BlockerA card you hold that makes some of their hands less likely, because that card cannot be in their hand too.
- OverbetA bet bigger than the pot.
Player Types 6
Nit, Regular, Calling station, Maniac and more
- NitA very tight, careful player who only plays strong hands.
- RegularA solid player who plays a fair share of hands, bets draws as well as made hands, and bluffs now and then.
- Calling stationA player who calls far too often and rarely folds or raises.
- ManiacA player who bets and raises with almost anything.
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