Poker Glossary
Blinds: Blinds are forced bets in Texas Holdem to intice betting action. The player to the left of the dealer must post the small blind, and the player to the left of him must post the big blind. The big blind is traditionally twice the amount of the small blind.
Community Cards: The cards in the middle of the table that are shared by all players.
Flop: The first three community cards in Texas Holdem.
Fourth Street: In Texas Holdem, fourth street is the fourth community card, or the card after the flop. Also known as the turn card.
Fifth Street: In Texas Holdem, fifth street is the fifth and final community card, or the card after the turn. Also known as the river card.
Longhand: This refers to a poker game with seven people or more. You should adjust your strategy according to how many people are in the game.
Outs: Number of cards left in the deck that can improve your hand. For example, if you have Ad. 9d, and the flop is 2d Qs Kd, you want one of the deck's diamonds to appear on the turn or river, to complete your flush. Since you have 2 diamonds in your hand, and there are 2 diamonds on the board, you have 9 cards left in the deck that will give you your flush, or 9 outs,
Position: Position refers to where a player sits at the poker table. Since the dealer is the last player to bet, it is said that he or she has the best position, because they get to see what all the other players in the hand do ahead of them. The small blind has the worst position because he must act first, and does not know who will bet, call, raise, or re-raise behind them. For more information on position, read our article on Position Play.
Position Raise: If a player in late position is in a pot that has not been raised ahead of them, and they raise regardless of their hand, it is called a position raise. For more information on position, read our article on Position Play.
Preflop: Preflop refers to the period in the game after the pocket cards are dealt and before the flop has been dealt.
River: In Texas Holdem, the river card is the fifth and final community card, or the card after the turn. Also known as fifth street.
Shorthand: This refers to a game with six people or less. You should adjust your strategy according to how many people are in the game.
Turn: In Texas Holdem, the turn is the fourth community card, the card after the flop. Also known as fourth street.
Weak Ace: A hand can be defined as such when one of your pocket cards is an ace and the card accompanying it is low and unsuited. A good rule is any ace with a nine or lower is a weak ace. For more information on weak aces, read our article on Playing Weak Aces.