TYPES OF POKER GAMES  |  POKER HAND RANKINGS  |   KEY TERMS  |  HISTORY OF POKER  |  FAQS

Acting in Turn - When playing poker, each player, whether checking, betting, raising or folding, must act in turn in a clockwise rotation.

Ante - A proportionally small wager required from each player before any cards are dealt. "Ante-up" means place your ante in the pot.

Bet - To initiate a wager by putting chips in the pot.

Blind - A forced bet, used in Hold 'em and Omaha, that requires players to bet before any cards are dealt. Depending upon game structure, there may be one, two or three blinds. Games with a blind structure are accompanied by a dealer button. If a game requires two blinds, the two players immediately to the left of the button are required to blind. If a game requires three blinds, the player with the button normally must also blind.

Buy-In - Buy-in is the minimum amount of cash or chips that a player must put on the table in order to begin play. The minimum buy-in requirement is normally stated at five times the maximum bet.

Call - To match the bet of another player.

Check - To abstain from initiating betting, but remain in the pot because no one else has bet.

Dealer Button - In Hold 'em and Omaha, a dealer button is used to indicate which player is in the dealer's position. On each betting round, action always starts with the player immediately to the left of the button and then continues to the other players in a clockwise rotation. The dealer button rotates one player to the left after the completion of each hand.

Fold - To give up your hand and any claim to the pot.

Raising - To increase the amount of the bet. Each raise must be at least the amount of the original bet or the last raise. Only three raises are allowed per round of betting unless there are only two players remaining in the hand. If only two players remain, there is no limit to the number of raises that are allowed. Checking and then raising or re-raising after another player bets is allowed.

Rake - Rake is a nominal charge that the dealer extracts for the house from each pot for the privilege of playing. The maximum percentage and the total amount raked per hand is posted on each table.

String-Bets - An illegal raise made in two distinct motions. For example, players, unless previously announcing their intention to do so, may not call a bet and then go back to their stack of chips for a raise. This prevents a player from attempting to gain information about the other players' reactions before deciding to raise.

Table Stakes - Includes all chips a player has on the table before a hand is dealt. Cash does not play. Players are not allowed to add cash/chips to their table monies while involved in a pot. In the event that a player does not have enough table chips to call all of a bet they may go "all-in" for the portion of the pot covered. Players are not permitted to remove cash/chips from the table until they are through playing.

Note: In limit games of $30 and $60 or higher and all pot-limit and no-limit games, cash does play.