There are certain terms and language that are used at a poker table. The following is a brief description of the key terms that the majority of players should know in order to function while playing Texas Hold’em poker.

Betting Terms

The pot is the money that players stand to win. Generally players place their chips in a pile in the center of the table and this pile becomes known as the pot. The two types of money transactions that could occur before cards are dealt are called posting the ante or posting the blinds. An ante is a predetermined amount of chips that is put into the pot by all players. A blind is an amount of chips put in by a certain player based on his table position relative to the dealer.

Playing Terms

Players that have the opportunity to act are said to have the action. Thus, the action refers to when it is a player’s turn. Sometimes a player of Texas Hold’em who is heavily favored mathematically to win a hand loses on the last card turned over, the river card. When this occurs, the losing player is said to have taken a bad beat. When cards are held that are one apart in rank they are called connectors. For example, a nine and a ten are connectors as are five and six. When these connectors are of the same suit they are said to be suited connectors as they give the player the possibility of making a straight, flush, or at best a straight flush.

Having connectors does not always guarantee good odds after the dealer has turned over the flop. The flop is the term given to the three community cards that are turned face up after the first round of betting. Players having connectors could have their hand counterfeited after the community cards are dealt. A hand is counterfeited or made almost worthless because of community cards that duplicate the cards held by the player. For example, if a player has a six and a seven and the flop is dealt revealing an eight, nine, and ten then the player has made a straight. If the dealer then turns over a seven as a fourth community card the player’s hand has been counterfeited because the odds that his straight will be good enough to win the hand have been greatly reduced. This is because another player needs only a lone six in their hand to make the exact same straight which would result in the spilt of the pot. Splitting the pot is when the money in the pot is distributed evenly to players who have tying hands.