Lesson 6
Basic Terminology
The vocabulary you’ll see at every poker table. Once you know these, the whole poker world opens up.
Poker has its own vocabulary, but most words are short and intuitive. Spend ten minutes here and you’ll be able to follow any video, article, or live commentary.
Action words
- Fold — give up the hand, lose any chips already in the pot
- Check — pass without betting (only when no bet has been made yet)
- Call — match the current bet to stay in the hand
- Bet — put chips into the pot when no one has bet yet
- Raise — increase a previous bet
- All-in — push all your remaining chips into the pot
Street names
- Preflop — before any community cards are dealt
- Flop — when the first three community cards appear
- Turn — when the fourth community card appears
- River — when the fifth and final community card appears
- Showdown — players still in reveal cards to determine the winner
Other essential terms
- Hole cards — your two private cards
- Community cards (board) — the shared cards in the middle
- Pot — the chips at stake in the current hand
- Stack — the chips a player still has
- Heads-up — when only two players are left in a hand
- Kicker — the side card that breaks ties when hands are equal
Tip
Don’t try to memorize all of them at once. Read this page, then come back when you see a word you forgot. After 2-3 sessions of play, they’ll all stick.