What do poker terms mean?

What are the betting terms?

Poker betting terms describe the bets in a hand:

• Blinds: forced bets posted by the two players left of the dealer button before cards are dealt.
• Ante: a small forced bet from every player, common in tournaments.
• Check: pass without betting, when no one has bet yet.
• Call: match the current bet.
• Raise: increase the current bet.
• Fold: give up the hand.
• All-in: bet every chip you have in front of you.

What are the card terms in Texas hold'em?

Hold'em uses two private cards and five shared ones:

• Hole cards: your two private cards.
• Flop: the first three shared cards, dealt together.
• Turn: the fourth shared card.
• River: the fifth and last shared card.
• Showdown: when remaining players show their cards to decide the pot.
• Kicker: the side card that breaks a tie between equal hands.

See <a href="/poker/hand-rankings/">hand rankings</a> for what beats what.

What are rake and buy-in?

Rake and buy-ins are what poker costs you, apart from your losses:

• Rake: the fee the site takes from each cash game pot.
• Buy-in: the price of a tournament seat, usually plus a fee.
• Guarantee: a minimum prize pool the site promises for a tournament.
• Freeroll: a tournament with no entry fee.

What are the game formats?

US sites offer these common formats:

• Cash game: chips equal money, and you can leave at any time.
• Tournament: you buy in once and play until you lose your chips or win.
• Sit and go: a small tournament that starts when the seats fill.
• Omaha: like hold'em, but with four hole cards, of which you must use exactly two.

What do US online poker terms mean?

A few terms are specific to regulated US poker:

• Shared liquidity: one site pooling players from several states. See where online poker is legal.
• MSIGA: the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, the compact that allows it. Its six members are Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
• Geolocation: the check that you are physically in a state where the site is licensed.