Poker Terms for Beginners: A Plain-English Glossary
Nov 11, 2026 · The Editors
Poker terms explained for beginners: the flop, turn and river, blinds and button, check, call and raise, nuts, tilt, kicker and the slang you will hear at a home game.
Poker has its own language, and most of it is simple once someone explains it. The terms below are the ones you will hear in almost any game of Texas hold'em or Omaha, grouped by when they come up in a hand. For the rules themselves, start with how to play Texas hold'em.
Poker terms: the table and the deal
- Button (dealer button): the disc that marks the dealer's seat. It moves one seat left each hand, and the player on the button acts last after the flop.
- Small blind / big blind: forced bets posted by the two players left of the button before the cards are dealt. See small blind, big blind and the dealer button.
- Ante: a small forced bet from every player, used in some games and in late tournament levels.
- Hole cards: your private cards, dealt face down.
- Burn card: the top card the dealer discards face down before each round of shared cards.
- Position: where you sit relative to the button. Early position acts first, late position acts last — and acting last is an advantage.
Poker terms: flop, turn and river
- Pre-flop: the betting round after hole cards are dealt.
- Flop: the first three shared cards, turned up together.
- Turn: the fourth shared card. Also called fourth street.
- River: the fifth and last shared card. Also called fifth street.
- Board: all the shared cards in the middle.
- Showdown: when the remaining players show their hands after the last bet.
Betting terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Check | Pass without betting, only when nobody has bet |
| Bet | Put chips in when nobody has yet |
| Call | Match the current bet |
| Raise | Increase the current bet |
| Re-raise / 3-bet | Raise again after a raise |
| Fold | Give up the hand |
| All in | Bet every chip you have — see all in poker rules |
| Pot | The chips everyone has bet |
| Side pot | A separate pot that an all-in player cannot win |
| Limp | Just call the big blind before the flop instead of raising |
| Check-raise | Check, then raise when someone else bets |
Hand terms
- Kicker: the side card that breaks a tie. With A-K against A-Q on an ace-high board, the king is the winning kicker.
- Pocket pair: two hole cards of the same rank.
- Suited / offsuit: hole cards of the same suit, or different suits.
- Draw: a hand that needs one more card, such as a flush draw (four of a suit) or straight draw.
- Outs: the cards left in the deck that would complete your draw.
- The nuts: the best possible hand given the board.
- Set / trips: three of a kind. A set uses a pocket pair; trips use one hole card and a pair on the board.
- Overpair: a pocket pair higher than every card on the board.
For which hand beats which, see poker hand rankings.
Poker slang
- Tilt: playing badly because you are upset after a loss.
- Bad beat: losing a hand you were a big favourite to win.
- Fish: a weak player. Shark: a strong one.
- Nit: a very tight, cautious player.
- Muck: the pile of discarded cards; to muck is to fold without showing.
- Slow play: playing a strong hand weakly to draw others in.
- Bluff: betting with a weak hand to make others fold.
- Card protector: a coin or weight placed on your hole cards so they are not mucked by mistake — see card protectors in poker.
- Rabbit hunting: asking to see what cards would have come after the hand is over.
Learning the words is half of feeling at home in a game. A proper dealer and blind button set puts three of the most-used terms on the table in front of everyone.
Frequently asked questions
What are the flop, turn and river in poker?
The flop is the first three shared cards, the turn is the fourth and the river is the fifth and last.
What does "the nuts" mean in poker?
The nuts is the best possible hand given the shared cards on the board.
What is a kicker in poker?
A kicker is a side card that decides a tie between two otherwise equal hands.
What does tilt mean in poker?
Tilt is playing badly because you are frustrated or upset, usually after losing a big hand.
