Poker Terms
Listing out all of the poker terms is on one hand an interesting exercise and at the same time an incomplete one. The reason for it being incomplete is that new terms are getting added to poker glossaries even as one reads this. Poker is for everyone and as soon as someone finds a new way of playing poker, or a new variant, it gets a new name and eventually evolves terms that would best suit it.
Here is a list of some of the most well known and commonly used terms. A brief description about each of them has also been included to help you understand their meaning. Knowledge of these terms will help give you a basic understanding of the language of poker.
Bank Refers to the casino house or person responsible for distribution of the chips, paying the winners at the end of the game, keeping record of the buy-ins and so on.
Bankroll Refers to the money a player has to wager at the casino.
Blind This refers to a forced bet.
Board The set of cards that are part of a community card game.
Busted To lose all the chips one had.
Button The marker that is placed before a player acting as the dealer.
Buy-in The minimum amount that a player will have to spend on buying chips to participate in a game, tournament.
Chip The casino equivalent of money.
Cow The player with whom another is sharing the buy-in with the intent of sharing the earnings.
Deal Distribution of cards to players.
Dealers The person who distributes the card to the players.
Stack The total amount of chips or money that a player has in play.
Pot In poker terms this means the total amount of money in a game that is raised on wagers from the players.
Stakes The amount of money that one uses for a buy-in or places as bet.
Sit and go In poker terms this refers to a tournament which starts when the required number of players have joined the table. There is no scheduled time for the start of such games.
Straight flush A poker hand consisting of five cards in a sequence.
Stud A poker game variant.
Satellite A tournament from which the winner can go on to another bigger tournament with no cost incurred.
Scoop To win the high and low half of the pot in a high-low split game.
Shark Refers to a professional player.
Spread The difference between the maximum and minimum bets at a table.
Wild card A card that can be designated as any card. All players have to agree on which card can be made a wild card.
Value bet A bet called by a player who wants it to be called.
Up the ante To increase the stake.
Walk A situation where all the players fold.
Rake The amount that is taken by the casino house or operator from the pot.
Rathole To partially remove ones chips from the table even as the game continues.
Rack 5 stacks of 100 chips of the same denomination.
Poker face The expression on a players face that does not give away anything.
Here is a list of some of the most well known and commonly used terms. A brief description about each of them has also been included to help you understand their meaning. Knowledge of these terms will help give you a basic understanding of the language of poker.
Bank Refers to the casino house or person responsible for distribution of the chips, paying the winners at the end of the game, keeping record of the buy-ins and so on.
Bankroll Refers to the money a player has to wager at the casino.
Blind This refers to a forced bet.
Board The set of cards that are part of a community card game.
Busted To lose all the chips one had.
Button The marker that is placed before a player acting as the dealer.
Buy-in The minimum amount that a player will have to spend on buying chips to participate in a game, tournament.
Chip The casino equivalent of money.
Cow The player with whom another is sharing the buy-in with the intent of sharing the earnings.
Deal Distribution of cards to players.
Dealers The person who distributes the card to the players.
Stack The total amount of chips or money that a player has in play.
Pot In poker terms this means the total amount of money in a game that is raised on wagers from the players.
Stakes The amount of money that one uses for a buy-in or places as bet.
Sit and go In poker terms this refers to a tournament which starts when the required number of players have joined the table. There is no scheduled time for the start of such games.
Straight flush A poker hand consisting of five cards in a sequence.
Stud A poker game variant.
Satellite A tournament from which the winner can go on to another bigger tournament with no cost incurred.
Scoop To win the high and low half of the pot in a high-low split game.
Shark Refers to a professional player.
Spread The difference between the maximum and minimum bets at a table.
Wild card A card that can be designated as any card. All players have to agree on which card can be made a wild card.
Value bet A bet called by a player who wants it to be called.
Up the ante To increase the stake.
Walk A situation where all the players fold.
Rake The amount that is taken by the casino house or operator from the pot.
Rathole To partially remove ones chips from the table even as the game continues.
Rack 5 stacks of 100 chips of the same denomination.
Poker face The expression on a players face that does not give away anything.
