When it comes to the game of poker, there are many, many terms for components of the game and game play. Some are even so common that they make their way into the everyday lexicon – our personal favorite poker idiom is “when the chips are down.”

• “She’s all in with that argument.” 
• “Well played, my friend.” 
• “They showed all their cards.”
• “His campaign is over; he should just fold.”
• “It sounds good, but what’s the kicker?” 
• “That football player is on tilt.”

These are just some of the most commonly used entries in the average poker dictionary. Check out this guide to Texas Hold’em poker terms for more of the typical lingo used in games and this list of more unusual poker terms with their explanations. These are great places to start learning the language of poker.

As for a general list of the most common all-encompassing poker terms, here’s an A-Z list and a great place for beginners to start.

Poker Terms Starting With A

Ace: Highest and lowest ranking card in the deck.

Ace in the hole: An ace as a hole card.

Ace-rag: An ace paired with an unhelpful card.

Action: Poker play, as in “action at the table” or the “action is on you.”

Add-on: An opportunity to purchase more chips in a rebuy tournament for an extra fee.

Air: A hand with no value, as in “He’s raising with air.”

All in: A person risking all of their poker chips in a hand.

Angle shoot: To intentionally play incorrectly to gauge the response of an opponent, considered unethical and sometimes illegal.

Ante: Mandatory bet based on tournament structure as a way to spur action.

Poker Terms Starting with B

Backdoor: Possibility of turn and river cards completing a flush or straight.

Bad beat: An initially strong hand losing to an initially weaker hand.

Bankroll: Money allocated specifically for poker. See also: poker bankroll management.

Bet: Money or something of value used as a wager in a hand. 

Big blind: Larger of two mandatory bets in flop games that rotates around the table with each hand; last position to act pre-flop and second position to act post-flop.

Blank: Community card providing no help to players’ hands.

Blind: One of two mandatory bets that rotates around the table for every hand. See also: blind vs. blind strategy.

Bluff: Wagering with a weak hand to trick an opponent into taking a specific action. See also: poker bluffing for beginners.

Board: Total of five face-up community cards used by all players.

Boat: Full house.

Broadway: Highest possible straight of ten, jack, queen, king, and ace.

Bullet: Buy-in, as in “I played a reentry tournament and spent two bullets.”

Burn card: Card mucked by the dealer before distributing hole cards, flop, turn, and river.

Bustout: Elimination from a poker tournament.

Buy-in: Money required to play a card game.

Poker Terms Starting with C

Call: A bet matching one made by another player during a round of play.

Check: A move to indicate staying in the hand without betting additional chips.

Check-call: A play that starts with a check but then a call when another player bets.

Chip: Round disk used in poker to represent value.

Chop: A split pot due to two or more players holding the same hand.

Color-up: Process in a tournament by which lower denomination chips are removed from play as blinds increase.

Community cards: Five cards dealt face-up by the dealer to be used by any player.

Cutoff: Position to the right of the button.

Poker Terms Starting with D

Draw poker: Version of poker involving discarding a card to replace it with another.

Dealer button: Position marked by a disk that moves around the table with each hand preceding the blinds; last position to act post-flop.

Downswing: Bad run of poker results over time.

Poker Terms Starting with E

Equity: The expected value of a hand based on the odds of winning as compared to the value of chips available to win.

Poker Terms Starting with F

Family pot: A hand in which every player enters a pot during a betting round.

Floor: Any person working in poker room management with decision-making authority.

Flop: First three community cards dealt face up for the use of all players, also referred to as third street. See also: preflop poker.

Flush: Five cards of the same suit.

Fold: To muck cards and remove oneself from playing in a hand.

Poker Terms Starting with G

Grinder: Player who competes regularly, possibly to earn a living.

Gutshot: An inside straight draw, only missing the card in the middle of the straight.

Poker Terms Starting with H

Heads-up: Hand consisting of only two players. See also: how to play heads up poker.

Hijack: The position two from the button.

Hole card: Initial cards dealt face-down to each player, two in Hold’em and four in Omaha.

Hold’em: The form of poker played with two hole cards and five community cards.

Poker Terms Starting with I

In position: Last person to act in a round of betting.

Inside straight: Straight draw only missing the middle card to make the straight.

Poker Terms Starting with J

Junk: Hand or card with little value.

Poker Terms Starting with K

Kicker: A high card that decides a hand when two or more players have a flush.

Poker Terms Starting with L

Level: Time portions of a tournament as part of an increasing blind structure.

Limp: To call a blind or minimum bet. See also: open limp in poker.

Poker Terms Starting with M

Min-bet: The minimum bet possible.

MTT: Multi-table tournament. See also: multi-table poker tournament strategy.

Muck: To fold without showing the cards; the pile of cards unused in a hand.

Poker Terms Starting with N

Nit: Tight player who takes few risks.

Nuts: Best possible hand considering the cards dealt. See also: the nuts in poker.

Poker Terms Starting with O

Omaha: The form of poker played with four hole cards and five community cards, in which two of the four hole cards must be used to create a playable hand. See also: Omaha poker strategies and variants.

Open: First bet of a hand.

Open-ender: A straight draw with the possibility for a card to complete it on the high or low end.

Orbit: Full round of play with every player having played every position.

Outs: Number of yet-unseen cards available to make a winning hand. 

Overcard: Higher card than players’ hole cards.

Poker Terms Starting with P

Pair: Two cards of the same rank.

Pocket pair: Two hole cards of the same rank.

Position: Place at the table dictating when to act, such as button, small or big blind, under the gun, hijack, or early or middle position.

Pot: Chips collected in the middle bet by all players, held for the winning player.

Pot bet: A bet that matches the size of the pot.

Poker Terms Starting with Q

Quads: Four of a kind, of the same rank.

Poker Terms Starting with R

Rack: A holder for chips used when moving tables or counting chips for a color-up.

Rag: An unhelpful card.

Rainbow: Most often used to describe a flop of three different suits.

Range: The array of hands a person may play.

Rebuy: A tournament option that allows a player to buy-in again to obtain more chips.

Reentry: A tournament option for players who bust to buy in again.

River: The fifth of five community cards dealt face-up, also called fifth street. See also: river poker strategy.

Poker Terms Starting with S

Satellite: Tournament with the chance of paying a lower buy-in to win a seat into a tournament with a larger buy-in.

Semi-bluff: Wagering with a weak hand – but one with potential to improve – to trick an opponent into taking a specific action. See also: the semi-bluff in poker.

Set: Three of a kind of the same rank, two of which are hole cards.

Shootout: Type of poker tournament played like an SNG, where only one or two players survive a table and move to the next round of play.

Shot clock: Clock that counts down the amount of time a player has to act or risk their hand being automatically folded.

Shove: To move all in. See also: when to shove in poker.

Showdown: The action of showing hands when two players remain to contend for a pot after all betting rounds end.

SNG: A sit-n-go or sit-and-go in which a specific number of players, most often at just one table, compete until one player remains.

Splash: A discouraged action by players who throws chips into the pot to create disorganization.

String bet: A motion to bet more chips after already betting, illegal in most poker rooms.

Straight: Five cards that rank consecutively, such as 7-8-9-10-J.

Straight flush: Five cards of the same suit that rank consecutively.

Poker Terms Starting with T

Tell: Indication of the strength of a hand through physical movements or actions.

Tilt: A negative emotional reaction to poker play. 

Tournament: An event with a set buy-in for everyone that plays to a winner, in which players must compete until they are eliminated or win and cannot cash out until payouts are implemented for the top finishers. See also: the two main types of poker tournaments.

Trips: Three of a kind of the same rank, only one of which is a hole card.

Turbo: Fast tournament structure with short levels and rapidly increasing blinds.

Turn: The fourth of five community cards dealt face-up, also called fourth street.

Poker Terms Starting with U

Under the gun: First person to act pre-flop.

Upswing: Positive run of poker results over time.

Poker Terms Starting with V

Value bet: A bet made to extract value and encourage a bet from an opponent.

Variance: A discrepancy in results due to the luck factor, can include upswings and downswings.

Poker Terms Starting with W

Walk: A win by the big blind prompted by all other players folding.

Wheel: The lowest straight possible of A-2-3-4-5.

Additional Poker Terminology

The above list is not an exhaustive one. There are many more terms used in games with more experienced players and in higher-stakes games. Knowing and understanding these terms will come with time and experience, but you can always use some additional poker slang to sound like a pro. 

Just remember that table talk is not always necessary. Sometimes, it is best to sit back and listen, and absorb what your opponents are saying. And when they use a term with which you are unfamiliar, you can quietly look up its definition on the internet.

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The chat box in online poker can be a good way to pick up the latest poker slang. Play poker online at BetMGM, as it is the fastest-growing poker site in legal markets in the United States. And don’t forget to use an online poker welcome bonus to take advantage of the best deals in the business.