poker terms<\/a> you need to know to navigate the Hold\u2019em table, whether you\u2019re playing in a land-based casino or at an online casino poker tournament. Ante up!<\/p>\n\n\n\nALL-IN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When you bet all your remaining chips on a single hand of cards. You either have some really unbeatable cards (like four aces or a straight flush) or you\u2019re just trying to scare the other players into folding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BLINDS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In Texas Hold\u2019em, the ante consists of two blinds, the big blind and the small blind. These rotating antes will hit everyone eventually. The small blind<\/strong> is the first player to the left of the dealer, and the big blind<\/strong> is the next seat farther left. The big blind is double the amount of the small blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBLUFF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Probably the most exciting aspect of poker: the bluff. Very skilled poker players can hide their TELL<\/strong>, put on their best poker face, and drop a huge raise with a crap hand (i.e. a pair of 2s). If everyone folds, the bluff has succeeded. But be careful: someone may call your bluff. Use with caution.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTexas Hold\u2019em is a community poker game where players make their poker hands from 2 private cards (hole cards) and five community cards which are shared by all players. Community cards are dealt face up in turns: the flop, the turn, and the river, with rounds of betting before and after each turn. Players must make the best possible 5-card poker hand from the seven total cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plastic disc used to indicate the dealer. The button passes clockwise after every hand of Hold\u2019em, which also advances the blinds. The dealer rotation maintains fairness at the table, as certain player positions have advantages over others. Players in a \u2018late position\u2019 have more information to make better decisions than players in an \u2018early position.\u2019 Player position runs clockwise from the dealer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FLOP<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The initial 3 cards dealt face up in the community card area (table center) in a game of Hold\u2019em after the 1st<\/sup> round of betting (pre-flop bets). Another round of betting follows the flop and 2 more single-card deals (the TURN<\/strong> and the RIVER<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\nHOLE CARDS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The 2 private cards dealt face down to each player, which are combined with the community cards to make a poker hand. Players place their first bets based on these 2 cards. The hole is also called the pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RIVER<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The river is the 5th<\/sup> card dealt in the community cards row in a Texas Hold\u2019em match. It is the final card dealt in the round, and players win or lose after the final bets are in.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSHOWDOWN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After the final round of betting ends, players turn their cards face up to determine the winner. A showdown occurs if two or more players have called or gone all-in during the final betting round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n