POKER TERMINOLOGY

A term used to describe the relative value of a wager compared with the total value of the pot that could be won. The usual application of this term would be if you were last to act and there is an outstanding bet which you are considering calling. Pot Odds refer to the amount of chips required to call relative to the amount of chips that could be won, relative to the likelihood of you having the hand needed to win. Here’s an example:

You hold: K(H) 10(H)
The Board shows: A(H) 7(H) 7(C) 9(D)

With one card to go, it’s not likely that you currently have the best hand. However, if a final (H) comes up, you would have a very strong hand. In this situation you would consider the Pot Odds when deciding whether to call a bet made my an opponent, that is the likelihood of your (H) coming up compared to how many chips you have to bet on it.

Having 4 cards of equal rank; 4 of a kind.

When a flop comes down that doesn’t appear to help anyone greatly, that is considered to be Ragged. This can be a dangerous situation to bet in as a flop may appear Ragged but may greatly improve a hand that was previously poor. For example:

You hold: K(H) K(S)
Your opponent holds: 7(S) 4(C)

Flop Comes: 7(C) 4(D) 2(S)

The Flop would be viewed as ragged because there are no large cards, nor a straight or flush draw. You would usually be correct in assuming your Ks are strong, however this flop has converted your opponent’s very marginal hand into a very strong one.

When the action is on you in Poker, a raise consists of increasing the outstanding bet and forcing your opponents to tender more chips to the pot. Generally this term refers to a situation where there is an outstanding bet which you call, and then re-bet another amount, forcing all other players to match your new wager.

A Rake refers to the percentage or amount that the House takes from every pot in a casino or online game. Generally in online play it is 5% up to a maximum of $3 per hand.

Refers to each cards’ value or refers to the respective value of hands or cards.

To knock the table, this is a physical sign that indicates the player wishes to check.

A situation in which there has been a raise tendered on top of an initial bet, and once the action arrives to you, you call the raise and make an additional raise on top of the initial raise.