People worldwide have been enjoying poker for over a hundred years. With the emergence of more free online poker sites, more people are starting to play free poker in the comfort of their homes. The basic rules are easy to learn, but several terms and phrases can confuse beginners. Understanding the terminology before you sit down at a table is essential.
A: Ante
The first thing you need to do when sitting at a poker table is to put in your ante. The ante is a small amount of money that all players must put in before the cards are dealt, which ensures that there is something to play for.
B: Betting
Once the cards have been dealt, the first person to speak is the one who bets first. They can either bet or check. If they bet, then all of the other players must either call (match their bet), raise (bet more than them), or fold (give up their hand). Once everyone has had a chance to make their move, the next round of betting begins.
C: Call
Calling is when you match the bet made by the person before you. If no one has raised the stakes, you can call and see the next card without putting any more money in.
D: Deal
The deal is when the cards are dealt out to the players. Each player will receive two hole cards (cards only they can see) and five community cards (cards that everyone can see). The dealer will discard one card before dealing with three more community cards face up or the flop. After the flop, there is another round of betting before the dealer reveals another card and deals out one more community card (the turn). The last communal card, the river, is dealt with after another betting round.
E: Equity
Equity is how much of the pot you expect to win based on the strength of your hand.
F: Fold
Folding is when you give up your hand and stop playing for that particular round. Sometimes it can be worth folding even if you have a good indicator, as it can save you money in the long run.
G: Grinder
“Grinder” is a player that tries to win small pots over a long period to stay in the game. They will usually play very tight (only bet when they have a good hand) and avoid getting into big pots where they could lose everything.
H: Hand
Your hand is the set of cards you are currently playing with. You will be dealt two hole cards and five community cards in poker, which make up your hand.Â
I: In position
This is when you are the last player to act in a hand. Being in a position gives you a significant advantage because you get to see everyone else’s actions before making a decision.
J: Junk
Junk is a term used to describe a hand that is not likely to win. For example, a hand of 7-2 offsuit is often referred to as junk because it is implausible to win against most other hands.
K: Kicker
A kicker is a card you use to break a tie. For example, if you have a hand of K-K-10-5-3, ranked as a pair of Kings, your kickers are the 10, 5, and 3.
L: Limit
Limit poker is a type where the betting is restricted to a set amount. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, the betting would be $2 for the first two rounds and $4 for the last two rounds.
M: Multi-Way Pot
A multi-way pot is a pot that more than two players contest. For example, if three players are all in for a pot of $100, it is a multi-way pot.
N: No-Limit
No-limit poker is a type of poker with no restrictions on the amount you can bet, meaning you can bet any amount of money you have at any time.
O: Orbit
An orbit is one complete round of play. For example, if ten players are at a table and each player receives two hole cards, then one orbit would be when each player has had a chance to act with their hand.
P: Pot
The pot is the money that all players have put into the middle of the table. The player wins the pot with the best hand at the end of the hand.
Q: Quads
Quads are a hand made up of four cards of the same rank. For example, if you have a hand of 4-4-4-4, you have quads. Quads are also sometimes called ‘four of a kind.
R: River
The river is the single community card dealt after the turn and before the showdown.
S: Showdown
The showdown is when all players reveal their hands. At the showdown, the pot is won by the person who has the strongest hand.
T: Turn
The fourth community card dealt is known as the turn. It is dealt with after the flop and before the river.
U: Upcard
From the name itself, an upcard is a card dealt facing up. These are usually only dealt with in open-handed games.
V: Value Bet
A value bet is one in which you wager with the expectation of having more equity than your rival. Skilled poker players will use this tactic to increase the pot’s worth.
W: Walk
A walk is what happens when everyone folds to the big blind. The big blind is said to ‘take a walk’ because they don’t have to put any more money in the pot and get to keep their current bet.
Learning the terminologies is half the work. Now it’s time to apply these terminologies when you play! Practice your poker game today by playing poker online free at GGPoker!