Action

(1) Opportunity to act. If a player appears not to realize it’s their turn, the dealer will say “Your action.” (2) Bets and raises. “If a third heart hits the board and there’s a lot of action, you have to assume that somebody has made the flush.”

All-in

To run out of chips while betting or calling. In table stakes games, a player may not go into their pocket for more money during a hand. If they run out, a side pot is created in which they have no interest. However, they can still win the pot for which they had the chips. Example: “Poor Bob. He made quads against the big full house, but he was all-in on the second bet.”

Ante

A small portion of a bet contributed by each player to seed the pot at the beginning of a poker hand. Most Hold’em games do not have an ante; they use “blinds” to get initial money into the pot.

Backdoor

Catching both the turn and river card to make a drawing hand. For instance, suppose you have A-7. The flop comes A-6-4. You bet and are called. The turn is the T, which everybody checks, and then the river is the J. You’ve made a “backdoor” nut flush. See also “runner.”

Bad Beat

To have a hand that is a large underdog beat a heavily favored hand. It is generally used to imply that the winner of the pot had no business being in the pot at all, and it was the wildest of luck that they managed to catch the one card in the deck that would win the pot. We won’t give any examples; you will hear plenty of them during your poker career.

Bet

The first chips placed in the pot on any street. Pre-flop, the small blind would be classified as the first bet.

Big Blind

The larger of the two blinds typically used in a Hold’em game. The big blind is normally a full first round bet. See also “blind” and “small blind.”

Blank

A board card that doesn’t seem to affect the standings in the hand. If the flop is A-J-T, then a turn card of 2 would be considered a blank.

Blind

A forced bet (or partial bet) put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt. Typically, blinds are put in by players immediately to the left of the button. See also “live blind.”

Bluff

To bet or raise holding a hand you believe to be weaker than that of your opponent, with the intention of getting them to fold their stronger hand.

Board

All the community cards in a Hold’em game – the flop, turn, and river cards together. Example: “There wasn’t a single heart on the board.”

Bottom Pair

A pair with the lowest card on the flop. If you have A-6, and the flop comes K-T-6, you have flopped bottom pair.

Burn

To discard the top card from the deck, face down. This is done between each betting round before putting out the next community card(s). It is security against any player recognizing or glimpsing the next card to be used on the board.

Button

A marker that indicates the (nominal) dealer. Also used to refer to the player on the button. Example: “Oh, the button raised.”

Buy

(1) As in “buy the pot.” To bluff, hoping to “buy” the pot without being called. (2) As in “buy the button.” To bet or raise, hoping to make players between you and the button fold, thus allowing you to act last on subsequent betting rounds.