Studies show that online poker is one of the most popular online casino games. The game’s popularity stems from the fact that it is one of the most rewarding online casino games. Despite all these seemingly enticing facts on online poker, there are many players who are scared to sit at the poker table to try their luck as poker is too technical for some of them. It’s against this background that we developed this detailed online poker guide informing you of all the common poker terms you are likely to encounter during a poker session. 

Poker hand

Before a game of poker starts, all the players are presented with cards, these cards are termed the hand. In all poker variants, the hand consists of two to five cards. A hand with two cards of the same value is called a pair. A hand with five consecutive cards is called a straight. A hand with all five cards of the same suit is called a flush. A hand with a pair and three of the same kind is a full house. A hand that has consecutive cards from the same suit is termed a straight flush while a hand that consists of 10, Ace, Jack, Queen, and King is termed a royal flush.

Action

Action in online poker may mean three things. Firstly, it may mean betting. When you are playing online poker and you decide to place your bet, it means you have taken action. Secondly, action can refer to one’s turn to act during a hand i.e. to play. This does not necessarily mean you are acting by placing your bet but that you are about to decide on your next move. Lastly, action may mean that a game has a lot of betting. In essence, this refers to the longevity of a poker game.

Blind

Blind is the umbrella term that may be used for a small blind or a big blind. A small blind position refers to the player sitting on the immediate left of the dealer button while a big blind position refers to the player sitting furthest from the dealer button. A big blind refers to the number of chips a player sitting in the big blind position has to bet. This bet starts the game of poker. It is called a blind because it is placed before a player can see his/her cards.

Buy-in

This refers to the amount you need to pay in order to get a seat at a poker table. The buy-in is usually equivalent to 20 times the big blind. For instance, if you are to sit at a $20 table, you need to have a buy-in of $400.

Button

The ‘Button’ in online poker is the equivalent to the dealer in a land-based casino. The ‘Button’ shuffles the cards and acts/bets last in the round.

Call

In order for the betting round to continue, each player has to call when it’s his or her turn. Calling is an act of matching the current amount of a bet placed by the previous player. A poker winner comes from the players who called last and who has the best hand.

Check

When it’s your turn to call but you do not want to call, you can check. Checking is the act of passing on betting to a later time. When the betting round finally returns and you are called upon to call again, you won’t have the option to check but you can call, fold or raise.

Fold

To fold is to surrender or quit. You fold by placing your cards face down on the poker table. It’s not advisable to fold but you can do so when you are sure that you can no longer compete with other hands as your hand is too weak. When you fold, you lose everything you previously wagered.

Raise

When it’s your turn to act, you may decide to raise rather than call (i.e. matching current amount of a bet). When you raise, you increase the betting amount. This will in turn force all the other players to increase their bets as well, any player who fails to match the raised bet will be forced to fold.

Check-Raise

A Check-Raise occurs when a player decides to check when it’s his/her turn to act and then raises the next time s/he is implored to act.

Community cards

Community cards are the cards you see laying in the centre of the table. These can be used by all players in making their hands.

All-in

All-in is when a player decides to bet using all his/her chips at once. Putting all your chips into the pot at once is something that must be done when one is extremely confident of his/her hand.