When you’re playing poker, you may come across words that are unfamiliar. To help you learn the lingo of poker, we’ve developed a handy glossary of poker terms. To help you understand the relationships between these terms, we’ve built links between many of them. Simply press your browser’s ‘back’ button to return to your previous position in the glossary.

H

Heads-up

When there are only two players in a hand. Also known as ‘1 on 1’ at partypoker.

Hole cards

The two cards every player gets before betting starts.

I-K

In the money

In the final part of a tournament when everyone left will win a prize, we say the players are ‘in the money’.

L

Late position

Usually two places left of the button – the last players to bet, except the dealer. A strong position on the table.

Limit

A game where betting is capped at 4 raises per round, with no bet bigger than the big blind.

Limp-In

When you enter the pot by calling rather than making a raise. Most often seen when the first person to act only calls the big blind.

M

Micro cash game

Where you only need a small amount of cash to join the table, and the blinds are very small – perfect for the new player.

Middle position

Somewhere between the early and late positions on a round of betting (the fifth, sixth and seventh seats to the left of the button on 10 seater tables).

Minimum sit down

The minimum amount of cash chips you are allowed to join a cash game with. This is normally a multiplier of the big blind (e.g. $1 / $2 blinds with a multiplier of X 35 will require $70 to join the table.

MTT

Multi Table Tournament, a tournament with many entrants, the bigger the number the bigger the prize money!.

N

No limit

A game with no limit to the amount you can bet. No Limit Hold’em is the world’s most popular poker game. 

Nuts

The best possible hand at any point of the game. If you have the nuts after the river card you cannot be beaten.

O

Odds

The statistical likelihood of whether you’ll make a hand (or not).

Offsuit

Two hole cards of a different suit.

On the button

Dealer’s position. The last player to act in a round. 

On their backs

When two or more players are all-in and no-one else has bet. Players turn their cards over and the remainder of the board is dealt.

On tilt

When you’ve had a few bad beats and emotions take over, you risk making things worse by chasing your losses rather than moving on.

Open-ended straight

Four consecutive cards where one more at either end will make a straight.

Outs

The number of cards left in the deck that will improve your hand. So, if after the turn you have 4-5-6-7, you need either an 8 or a 3 for a straight, there are 4 of each left, you have 8 outs.

P

Pass

To fold your cards.

Playing the board

In Hold’em, this is when your best 5-card hand uses the 5 community cards, not your hole cards.

Pocket pair

When you have a pair as your hole cards.

Pocket rockets

A pair of aces as your hole cards. The odds for getting this hand are 220-1.

Position

Where you sit in relation to the dealer, which gives you your place in the betting order.

Pot

The amount of money or chips on the table, and available for players to win.

Pot odds

The probability of winning the hand versus the size of the pot and the size of the bet. Helps you work out whether to call or fold.

Pre-flop

Bets made and called (action) before the flop is dealt.

Prize fund or prize money

A calculation of total tournament entrants multiplied by the entry stake gives the total amount in the prize fund.