Ante
Forced bet required of all players before the start of a hand in some poker games, primarily Stud
Bet
1) Placing a wager into the pot when it is your turn to do so
2) Betting: the various ways money enters a pot
3) Big Bet: in structured limit games, the larger of the two betting rounds
4) Big Bet Poker: No Limit or Pot Limit games
Blinds
1) Forced bets in community card games similar the use of antes, but normally
only required of two players rather than all players at the table
2) Small Blind: the smaller of two forced bets, usually 1/2 the minimum opening bet
3) Big Blind: the larger of two forced bets, usually equal to the minimum opening bet
4) Stealing the Blinds: make a raise on the opening betting round with the goal
of winning the blind bets without any further action on the hand
5) Betting blind: betting without taking the option to look at the next card(s)
Bluffing
1) Betting or raising a weak hand in hopes that all other players will fold
2) Semi-bluffing: betting or raising a drawing hand, like a draw to a flush,
in the earlier betting rounds enabling you to sometimes win the pot uncontested,
but with the backup of being able to actually make the winning hand when more cards are dealt
3) Bluffer: a player with the reputation of bluffing often
4) Calling a Bluff: calling a player's bet because you think they may be bluffing
Burning a Card
Discarding facedown the first card off the deck each time cards are dealt after the initial deal. This act is burning a card. The card is known as the burn card.
If more than one card is burned, these are called the burn cards.
Burning a card helps prevent the top card of the deck from accidentally being exposed.
Bust / Busted
1) Missing a draw; busted flush draw
2) To be eliminated from a tournament; losing all your chips
Buy In
The minimum (and sometimes maximum) amount needed to enter a game or tournament
Call
1) To accept the previous player's action
2) Calling a bet: if a previous player bets £20 you also put £20 into the pot (instead of raising or folding).
Check
1) To pass up the right to start the betting in a betting round,
while retaining the right to continue in the hand
2) Checking Blind: checking before looking at the next available card
3) Check in the Dark: same as checking blind
Cold Call
Calling (but not raising) when faced with more than one bet in a single action.
If one opponent bets, and another raises, and you call, you have cold called.
Cut - Cutting
Dividing the deck in half, then switching them so the bottom half becomes the top half
Cut Card
The bottom card of the deck. In casino games a blank card is usually used as the cut card to prevent players from seeing the actual bottom card
Dead Hand
A hand that is no longer able to win the pot, usually because it has been fouled in some way
Dealer
1) The non-playing employee who shuffles, deals and runs the game in casino poker games
2) The position that receives the last card dealt
Discard
1) In draw-style games, the cards thrown away before the draw
2) The pile of cards thrown away or not involved in the action
are known as the discards or "muck"
Draw
1) A type of card game
2) The part of the above game where players discard and receive new cards: "drawing cards"
3) Having a draw in Hold ‘em games means attempting to make a complete hand, like a flush or straight
Heads-Up
Only two players involved in a one-on-one hand or game
Hole Cards - Pocket Cards
The private cards dealt face down to each player
No Limit
Betting structure where players are allowed to bet any amount of chips, above a set minimum
Pot Limit
Betting structure where players are allowed to bet any amount up to the size of the current pot, above a set minimum
Raise
To increase the amount of the previous bet, as long as the increased amount meets a predetermined minimum requirement. Different game styles have varied definitions of what constitutes a raise.
Semi-Bluff - Semi-Bluffing
To bet a hand where you have a draw, where you can either win the pot if opponent's fold, or if you make your hand
Shootouts - Shootout Tournaments
Tournament structure where as people are eliminated, players stay
on their original starting table until one player has all the chips.
The winners from each table then play for the prize pool.
Spread Limit
A betting structure where a range of bets are optional;
for example, in £1 - £4, you can make bets of either £1, £2, £3 or £4.
Differs from Limit Poker, where only one bet is possible, and No Limit where any bet is possible.
Suited Connectors
Texas Hold ‘em starting hands consisting of two cards next to each other
of the same suit. For example: Seven of Spades - Six of Spades
