Poker Glossary

A five-card hand that contains one Ace, with no straight, flush or pair.

A full house with three aces and any other pair.

A hand that contains two pairs, one of which is a pair of Aces.

Checking/Betting/Raising.

Any player who is still in the hand.

Comes at the end of the re-buy period during an MTT (Normally after 60 Minutes).

When a player makes a bet using his entire chip stack, or when a player calls another players bet and in doing so has to use his entire chip stack - “I’m All-in”.

A fee paid in the later round of tournaments by all players in the hand and in addition to the blinds. The ante amount increase each time the blinds increase.

Requiring the remaining 2 cards, both the turn and the river, in order to make your hand. Example: Having J/Q of Clubs with a flop of A of Clubs, 5 of Hearts, 6 of Spades. The turn and river are K & 3 of Clubs.You made a backdoor flush.

When a player with a strong hand that is statistically favourite to win the pot is beaten. On the PartyPoker Bad Beat Jackpot tables a bad beat is considered as having four of a kind 8s or better but losing the hand.

A jackpot prize paid to the loser, the winner, and every other player at the table if four of a kind 8’s are beaten (only players dealt in at the start of the hand and only only on designated jackpot tables).

The amount of money you have in your PartyPoker account or are willing to put into the account over a set period of time.

Selecting the correct game to sit in dependent on bank-roll size, knowing when to leave, and knowing when to sit in bigger games or move back to small games.

The larger of the 2 forced bets usually twice the small blind.

A useless card that does nothing to improve your hand.

To make other players believe that one has a better hand than he/she might otherwise have, by betting or raising.

In some MTT tournaments there will be a reward for knocking a specified player out of the tournament, the reward is called a “Bounty”.

As many MTT’s take several hours to play there are regular breaks built into the tournament structure, normally 5 minutes, at 55 minutes past the hour.

Something to avoid at all costs! The bubble is the last player in a tournament to be eliminated before the prize money starts. For example an MTT might have 200 entrants and the prize money begins at position 15, to finish 16th is the bubble (no prize money for the bubble!).

A pair of Aces.

Also known as the dealer button, it is a small round disk that is moved from player to player in a clockwise direction following each hand, to theoretically indicate the dealer of each hand.

Refers to the amount you sit at a cash game with, or refers to the cost of entering a MTT or SnG.

Where you match the bet made previously by an opponent.

Tournaments are played with chips with a point value, Cash Games are played with chips of a cash value.

When it's a player's turn to act and there has been no action in front of them and he opts not to bet, he 'checks.'.

Where a players first action is to check hoping for players after him to make a bet, then if another player bets and, the action returns to the original player, he raises!.

The five cards in the centre of the table used by all players to make their best 5 card poker hand (all 5 cards are know as “the Board”).

A term you will hear a lot, you have Ad Kd pre-flop and you raise or re-raise. The flop comes down a rainbow 4 5 6 - your Ad Kd does not look quite so good, this is where a continuation bet might just win the pot. Simply put, you made the last action, you make the next action also, almost regardless of what the next card or card brings. (see also “Bluff”).

Being the last to act in a betting round. On the button.

Position on a round of betting, where the player must act before most of the other players at the table. (It's considered the two positions located to the left of the Blinds.).

The house charge for hosting a tournament, typically 10% of the entry stake.

Similar to Buy-in, although this refers only to the cost of entering a tournament, all entry stakes make up the total prize pool.

Also known as the 'river' card, this represents the fifth community card on the table and the final round of betting.

A player deemed to be inexperienced and one that will lose more than he wins “Fish food for Sharks”.

Calling a bet without raising.

First three community cards that are dealt face-up in the center of the table, all at one time. After the 'flop' the second round of betting takes place.

Any five cards of the same suit.

When a player has four cards towards a flush, all of the same suit and is hoping to draw a fifth to make a flush.

Where you wish to no longer take part in a hand – you fold your cards (also known as “pass”).

Four cards of the same number or face value ('quads').

Is the fourth community card dealt (also known as the 'turn') and represents the third round of betting.

Free to enter MTT’s with prize money or prize packages.

Any three cards of the same number or face value, plus any other two cards of the same number or face value. For example, three Aces and two 10s.

When only two players are involved with a hand.

All players receive 2 cards before any betting commences – the 2 cards are your hole cards “I had pocket 3’s in the hole”.

When enough players have been eliminated from a tournament (MTT or SNG) so that all the remaining players will win money according to the payout structure. The players are said to be “in the money”.

Position on a round of betting where the player must act after most of the other players have acted, (usually considered to be the two positions next to the right of the button).

There are 3 types of betting structure, No Limit, Limit, and Pot Limit. Limit is where the amount of a single bet is restricted to the size of the big blind, and the amounts of raises are limited in number (4) per betting round.

To enter the pot by simply calling rather than making a raise. The most common understanding of limping in is when the first person to act only calls the Big Blind.

Where the cash amount required to sit at the table is at a very low level, also the blinds are very small – perfect for the new player.

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).

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.

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

A poker game without an upper restriction on the size of any bet. Bets are only restricted in size by the amount of chips a player has at a given moment in time. No limit Hold’em is globally the most popular poker game played.

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

The probability of making a hand vs. the probability of not making a hand.

2 hole cards of a different suit.

Being the last player to act in a betting round. Dealer's Position.

This is when 2 or more players are All-In; therefore there can be no more betting. All players cards are then turned face up, and the remainder of the board is dealt.

This is a term used for a player that has taken a few bad beats and is now playing in hands he should not be in, he is probably chasing his losses.

Four consecutive cards whereby one additional card is needed at either end to make a straight.

The number of cards left in the deck that will improve your hand. e.g. after 4th street you have an open ended straight draw 4-5-6-7, an 8 or a 3 will make the straight and there are 4 of each left in the deck, therefore you have 8 outs.

To fold your cards.

In Hold’em when your best five card hand is all five of the community cards. E.g the board is 6,7,8,9,10 and your hole cards are A,5 – you play the board with a straight from 6 to 10.

Where you are dealt a pair (see also "Hole Cards").

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

Where a player is seated in relation to the dealer, therefore establishing that player's place in the order of betting.

The money or chips in the center of a table that players try to win.

A calculation of value where the likelihood of you wining the hand is compared to the size of the pot and the size of the bet to establish if it is correct to call or pass.

Generally referring to bets made and called (action) before the flop is dealt.

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

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

4 of a kind.

Is where the flop comes down all different suits, therefore the odds of hitting a flush are much lower.

To increase the previous bet.

The small charge made per pot by the house normally 5% of the pot up to a maximum of a few dollars, only in cash games.

The value of each card and hand.

Enables a player to buy back into a tournament (normally the first hour) if they were to lose all their chips. This is only applicable to tournaments explicitly stated as a re-buy tournament.

When a player has already raised the bet and instead of calling you raise the bet further.

This is the last card to be dealt, it is also known as 5th street.

This is an Ace high straight (A-K-Q-J-10) of the same suit. It is the best possible hand in poker.

Refers to the amount of players taking part in an MTT.

A mini-tournament to win an entry into a larger tournament.

A player deemed to be a winner who grows his bankroll by feeding from “Fish”.

A term that describes a moment in a SnG or MTT where your chip stack is quite small compared to the remaining opponents.

At the end of the final betting round, it's when all active players turn their cards face-up to see who has won the pot.

A separate pot(s) which is contested by remaining active players when one or more players are all-in.

The amount put in the pot by the person immediately to the left of the dealer 'button' prior to the cards being dealt.

Single Table Tournament, normally 10 players, (Sit & Go).

All players receive 2 cards before any betting commences – the 2 cards are your Starting Cards.

How likely your starting cards are to make you the winner of the pot. A pair of Aces is the best starting hand. Therefore this is the order of hand ranking; Ace & King for example is number 4 on the list behind AA KK QQ.

This refers to the amount of tournament chips each player begins either a SnG or MTT with.

Five consecutive cards of any suit.

Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

2 cards of the same suit that are numerically next door e.g. 9 & 10 of hearts.

“The action is on you” which means it is your turn to either call, pass, raise etc.

When the Flop, Turn & River cards are all on display, this is known as “The Board”.

This is the fourth card dealt. It is the third round of betting.

Where you are the first person on a betting round to act, will always be the first player to the left of the button still holding cards.

The statistical measure of how your results will be dispersed generally due to the run of cards received for a given time period.

A 5 card hand that is a straight from the Ace to five.