Poker is a complex game and can be more difficult if you are not aware of its language. What are poker languages and why is it important? Poker language consists of specific terminology used while playing poker. It is important to understand the language because the game runs through those terms.
For example, if the betting round has started and the host is asking to put all-in and you do not know the meaning of the term you will not place your chips into the pot. This can confuse you during the game and distract you from winning.
Let’s take a look at some of the poker terminology.
1. Action: when you want the players to act. You can say action to the person whose turn is next after you. Or you can tell this to any of the opponents who are unwilling to show or have forgotten their turn.
2. All-in: it is a bet that places all of a player’s chips in the pot. It can be used by the host or the dealer.
3. Ante: it is a small proportion of bets that every player makes before showing the hand. It is similar to blind but here everyone has to contribute some chips. It increases the value of the pot for the winner.
4. Hand: while playing poker if you hear the word “hand” it simply refers to the set of five or seven cards you are having. This is the basic requirement of the game. So do not get confused by the term.
5. Blind: it is the number of chips the second player leaves to the dealer to bet. Here all you have to do is guess and guess.
6. Bluff: another common term you will come across is bluff. Poker is based on a scheme of bluffs. You can call it a technique of the game.
7. Chips: Whether playing online or offline, chips are equally important in poker. Money is converted into token form and those tokens are referred to as chips.
8. Burn: discarding the top cards before each betting round is called burn.
9. Check: it is passing on the betting if there is no action for you. When you do not want to bet you can say check. In further rounds, if other players act then the action will come back to you either call, fold or raise.
10. Check-raise: when you want to raise the amount of money bet, you can say check-raise.
11. Community Cards: cards that are dealt face up in the centre of the table, which is available for all players to form a good winning hand, are called community cards.
The Bottom Line
So these were some of the terms you certainly come across while playing poker. It is not necessary to learn these in one flow but you will gradually learn them by practicing online at Pocket52. You will start using these terms better with time.