Poker: Glossary
Aggressive Action: A wager that could enable a player to win a pot without a showdown; a bet or raise.
All In: When you have put all of your playable money and chips into the pot during the course of a hand, you are said to be all-in.
Ante: A prescribed amount posted before the start of a hand by all players.
Bet: The act of placing a wager in turn into the pot on any betting round, or the chips put into the pot.
Big Blind: The largest regular blind in a game.
Blind: A required bet made before any cards are dealt.
Blind Game: A game which utilizes a blind.
Board: (1) The board on which a waiting list is kept for players wanting seats in specific games. (2) Cards faceup on the table common to each of the hands.
Boardcard: A community card in the center of the table, as in Hold’em or Omaha.
Boxed card: A card that appears faceup in the deck where all other cards are facedown.
Broken Game: A game no longer in action.
Burncard: After the initial round of cards is dealt, the first card off the deck in each round that is placed under a chip in the pot, for security purposes. To do so is to burn the card; the card itself is called the burncard.
Button: A player who is in the designated dealer position. (see Dealer Button)
Buy-In: The minimum amount of money required to enter any game.
California Lowball: Ace-to-five lowball with a joker.
Capped: Describes the situation in limit poker in which the maximum number of raises on the betting round have been reached.
Check: To waive the right to initiate the betting in a round, but to retain the right to act if another player initiates the betting.
Check Raise: To waive the right to bet until a bet has been made by an opponent, and then to increase the bet by at least an equal amount when it is your turn to act.
Collection: The fee charged in a game (taken either out of the pot or from each player).
Collection Drop: A fee charged for each hand dealt.
Color-Change: A request to change the chips from one denomination to another.
Common Card: A card dealt faceup to be used by all players at the showdown in the games of stud poker whenever there are insufficient cards left in the deck to deal each player a card individually.
Community Cards: The cards dealt faceup in the center of the table that can be used by all players to form their best hand in the games of Hold’em and Omaha.
Complete the Bet: To increase an all-in bet or forced bet to a full bet in limit poker.
Cut: To divide the deck into two sections in such a manner as to change the order of the cards.
Cut Card: The bottom card.
Dead Card: A card that is not legally playable.
Dead Collection Blind: A fee posted by the player having the dealer button, used in some games as an alternative method of seat rental.
Dead Hand: A hand that is not legally playable.
Dead Man's Hand: Legend holds that Wild Bill Hickok was shot to death during a poker game in Deadwood, South Dakota, and that the hand he held was two pair, black aces and black eights. The fifth card is not known for certain.
Dead Money: Chips that are taken into the center of the pot because they are not considered part of a particular player’s bet.
Deal: To give each player cards, or put cards on the board. As used in these rules, each deal refers to the entire process from the shuffling and dealing of cards until the pot is awarded to the winner.
Dealer Button: A flat disk that indicates the player who would be in the dealing position for that hand (if there were not a house dealer). Normally just called “the button.”
Deal Twice: When there is no more betting, agreeing to have the rest of the cards to come determine only half the pot, removing those cards, and dealing again for the other half of the pot.
Deck: A set of playing-cards. Consisting of 52 cards divided into 4 suits. More cards (wildcards) can be added, such as a joker.
Discard: In a draw game, to throw cards out of your hand to make room for replacements, or the card(s) thrown away; the muck.
Discards: Cards that are dealt facedown in a stud game.
Draw: When players are given the opportunity to replace cards in the hand. The act of replacing cards in the hand. The point in the deal where replacing is done is called "the draw".
