Poker Terms

Poker Rules


Definition of Terms

Hand: The combination of cards a player holds.

Play: A single game.

Pot: Overall collection of money placed by players as bet over the duration of a game.

Split Pot: Players divide the pot equally between them if they have the same hand. When the pool is not exactly divisible then the left over amount goes to the player who called the highest bet.

Ante: An enforced bet that must be made by all players before any cards are dealt. An ante encourages action in a game.

Rake: A commission charged by a poker room for every hand played. The rake is usually taken as a percentage of the pot in a given hand. For example, if the rake is 10%, and a pot reaches a final of $10, the rake will be $1. Poker rooms generally use rake as their sole source of revenue.

Showdown: After the last round of betting in a round of poker, a showdown occurs- players must turn over their cards, and compare their five-card poker hands.


Betting Terms:

Call: A player may call a bet by putting an amount of money exactly equal to the bet into the pot. For example, if Jim bets $2, and Brian wants to call Jim’s bet, Brian must put $2 into the pot.

Fold: A player may fold his hand by laying down his cards, and forfeiting further play in a round of poker. For example, if Jim bets $2 and Brian wishes to fold, Brian must surrender his cards to the dealer, and will remain inactive for the rest of the round.

Raise: A player may raise a previous bet by putting an amount greater than the bet into the pot. A raise must be at least double the size of the previous bet. For example, if Jim bets $2, and Brian wants to raise Jim’s bet, Brian may put $4 or more into the pot.

Check: A player may pass his turn in a round of poker without taking any betting action, only if there are no previous bets in the round. This is known as a check. For instance, if Brian is first to act on the flop in a hand, he has the option of checking his hand, which will put the action on the next player.