Know Your Terminology!

You should never feel lost again when talking about poker, with our excellent glossery...

All-In: This is where you put all your chips into the pot, so if you lose you'll have none left and be out of the game (unless you're able to buy back in).  Not for the faint hearted but can be a 'trump move' when bluffing.  Maybe.

Bad Beat: This is where you're a massive favourite (e.g. the odds calculator says you have a 96% chance of winning) but you're opponent lucks out and get the only card that can beat.  See the top video.  Bad beats usually occur during an 'All-In'

Bluff: This is where you're pretty sure you don't have the best hand (or know you have shit all) but want to win the pot anyway.  It's the best skill to accumulate probably, but best used sparingly.  See the section 'How to Bluff' for more info.

Bullets:  This is where you are dealt two aces for hole cards, and they are the best starting cards you can have.  They don't guarantee victory though!

The Button: This is what distinguishes the dealer.  The person who's playing 'on the button' is often said to have the best 'position' on the table because he can see what everyone else has done before making his own betting decision.

Blinds: There are always a big bling and a little blind in poker.  The big blind is always two player to the left of the dealer (the person on the button); and the little bling is always on the dealers immediate left.  Forcing people to put a blind in means theres always an incentive to play the pot, as there will always be some money it.

Call:  This is where you 'call' an opponent you've been betting against, by matching (not exceeding) his bet or raise.  Once all the rounds of betting have taken place, the final call will lead to any players still left playing to reveal their hands.

Cash Game:  This usually refers to a game of poker where you can buy back in if you lose all your chips.  It's the most common game played online for real money.

Doubling Up: When you win after going all-in, you'll have doubled up, because the player you beat has had to match you chip for chip.

Flop: The flop is the set of three cards dealt after the first round a betting.

Fold: To fold, or folding, means laying down your hand and conceeding any chips you've put into the pot so far.

Fourth Street: Same as the Turn, it's the fouth card to be revealed by the dealer as a community card.

Freeroll: When you get a chance to enter a poker tournament at no cost - so no risk - but still have the chance to walk away with a cash prize.

Hand: Often used interchangeably with 'round' i.e. "we'll play this hand/round of poker then get another beer."  The hand ends when someone wins the pot.

Hole Cards: These are the two cards you are initially dealt, which you keep private at all times.

Knocking: This is when a player has the option to pass the action to the next player without having to place any money in the pot.  Every now and then, everyone still in the round will knock, and the next card is dealt without any more money being put in the pot.

Limits: Although 'No Limit Texas Hold 'Em' has been most popularised on TV, many games have a 'limit' that you can bet in any particular round.  For example a $2/4 limit game will mean you can't bet more than $4 any one time, so practically if people keep raising by that amount, by the time it gets round to you, you may need to put in $20 to stay in the hand.  Pot Limit is another variation where you can bet up to maximum of the current pot.

Muck (your hand): Recommended! This is where you fold, and don't show your cards.  If you show you're opponents you're cards, they'll start to understand how you play, so unless you've a very good reason to do so, always much your hand.

Off-suit:  This is where you're two hole cards are of different suits.  It is better for them to be the same suit, but not essential to win a round!

Poker Face: It doesn't necessarily mean having a granite and unsmiling face behind big sunglasses and a hat.  It just means being relaxed and keeping your reactions to yourself during the game, so it's harder for people to 'read' you.

The Pot: This refers to the money that is up for grabs to whoever wins the hand.  It increases as more betting takes place.  A split pot occurs when two people have the same hands.

Raise: This is where you or your opponent puts more money into the pot, and others in play must match it to stay in contention.

Read: 'A Read' is where you start to be able to see how an opponent plays or reacts to what is going on e.g. you notice they breath heavier when they are bluffing (or have a great hand).  Patterns of play in online poker can often be read too.

(A) Round: One round of poker lasts from when the hole cards are dealt, until the pot is won by one of the players.  The next round is then played.  In online card rooms, rounds are often played quite rapidly, and once you become more skilled, many players will play multiple hands on several tables at once.

River: The River cards is the last one to be dealt in any one round of poker.  It can often be either the dream maker or destroyer of your world!  The most skilled players will try to minimise it's influence over who wins the hand though.

Sharp(Shark): A person who is skilled at poker but might pretend not to be, in order to build your confidence, and then win more money from you.

The Nuts: This is when you're two hold cards, when matched to the community cards, make the best possible hand statistically (i.e. the best anyone else can do is have the same as you, but no one can beat you).  It's obviously a great situation to be in.

Tournament: There are lots of tournaments online and offline.  Famous tournaments include the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour.  Once you've been beaten in a tournament, you can't usually buy back in (as opposed to a cash game).

Turn: The Turn is the fourth community card to be dealt, coming in between the flop and the river.

Trapping (Trap-Raise):  Some poker players, as a tactic, will pretend to not have a good hand by 'knocking' so you bet to push them out of the hand, but they'll then re-raise against you.  Sometimes they may be bluffing, but often they've done this on purpose to take chips off you.

Worst Hand:  Statistically, the worst hole cards you can be dealt are a 2-3 off-suit, but most players feel that a 7-2 off suit is the worst.