ANTE — an agreed on percentage of the minimum bet placed in the pot before any cards are dealt. This is a forced bet.

BLINDS — forced bets placed before any cards are dealt in games without an ‘ante’. They exist to keep a certain amount of money coming into the pot. The ‘small blind’, the first bet, is usually half the minimum. The ‘small blind’ is the player to the left of the dealer or ‘button’ and precedes the ‘big blind’ who usually bets twice the ‘small blind’. Depending on the agreed rules, there can be from one to three ‘blinds’.

FORCED BETS — these are either the ‘blinds’ or ‘antes’ and are obligatory for any player wishing to participate in the game. There also forced bets in stud poker after the first cards are dealt.

CHECK — when no money has been bet, this is way of staying in the round. It is the equivalent of a bet without any monetary value.

CALL — when the highest going bet is matched by a player so they may stay in the game.

RAISE — this is when a player not only equals the preceding bet, but adds to it so that all other players have a new level to meet or ‘call’.

FOLD — when a player wishes to discontinue their participation in a hand and they cut their losses and throw in their cards.

POT — the amount of money that has been bet and can be won.

ODDS — the mathematical probabilities involved in the chances of receiving cards in relation to the chances of the other players.

HOLE CARDS — these are the down-turned cards a player receives in games which have either ‘community’ cards or up-turned cards.

BOARD — these are all the cards that can been seen on the table. They are collectively referred to as the ‘board’.

COMMUNITY CARDS — these are the up-turned cards which belong to all players in certain variations of poker. Hands are made up of a combination of these cards with the player’s ‘hole’ cards.

FLOP — the first three ‘community’ cards in variations of Hold ‘Em

TURN — the fourth ‘community’ card in variations of Hold ‘Em

RIVER — the fifth and final ‘community’ card in variations of Hold ‘Em

UP-CARDS — these are any cards on a table which are belong either to the ‘community’ cards or a player and can been seen by all.

LIVE CARDS — these are cards which have yet to be seen on the board and can still be dealt.

DEAD CARDS — these cards are those which are on the board or part of hand.

OUTS — these are cards yet to be dealt which will strengthen or make your hand.

WHEEL — the ideal low hand in Hi-Lo games when straights and flushes do not count and when the Ace is both a high and low card. The ‘wheel’ runs consecutively from Ace to 5.

NUT HAND — this is the best possible hand a player can have given the potential hands which the ‘board’ suggests.

PURE NUT — Pure Nut hands are the best possible hands a player can get, though they are not usually suggested by the board. The extra special hand that no one could prepare for given the usual reading of the board.

HI-LO — a variation of poker in which a low hand can win and split the pot with a winning high hand.

BUTTON — this is the theoretical position of the dealer to retain the fairness of the order of play and betting when there is a dedicated dealer.