Terminology

Welcome to our No-Limit Texas Hold'em platform! To help you get started and understand the game better, here's a glossary of common terms you'll encounter. Familiarizing yourself with these concepts will enhance your playing experience.

Core Concepts

• No-Limit: This is the defining characteristic of our game. "No-Limit" means that players can bet any amount of chips they have at any time, up to their entire stack, during their turn. There's no cap on the size of bets or raises.
• Hole Cards: These are the two private cards dealt face-down to each player at the beginning of a hand. Only you can see your hole cards, and they combine with the community cards to form your best five-card poker hand.
• Community Cards: These are the five cards dealt face-up in the center of the table, shared by all players to make their best hand. They are dealt in three stages:
  • Flop: The first three community cards dealt after the pre-flop betting round.
  • Turn: The fourth community card dealt after the flop betting round.
  • River: The fifth and final community card dealt after the turn betting round.
• The Board: Refers to all the community cards currently dealt face-up on the table (e.g., "The board shows Ace-King-Seven on the flop").
• Pot: The total accumulation of all bets made by players in a hand. The goal of every player is to win the pot.
• Stack / Chip Stack: The total amount of chips a player has in front of them at the table. In No-Limit Hold'em, your stack size is crucial because you can bet all of it.
• Buy-in: The amount of money or chips required to join a poker game or tournament.

Betting Actions

These are the primary actions a player can take during their turn in a betting round:

• Fold: To give up on the current hand and forfeit any chips you've already contributed to the pot. When you fold, you are out of the hand until the next one begins.

• Check: To pass the action to the next player without placing a bet. You can only check if no bets have been made in the current betting round. If another player bets after you check, you then have the option to call, raise, or fold.

• Call: To match the amount of the last bet made in the current betting round. By calling, you stay in the hand.

• Bet: To place the first wager in a betting round. Once a bet is made, other players must at least call that bet to stay in the hand.

• Raise: To increase the amount of the current (total) bet. If a player bets, you can raise by putting in more chips than their bet. This forces other players to call your raise, re-raise, or fold.

• All-in: To bet all of your remaining chips. When you go all-in, you can only win the portion of the pot that corresponds to the chips you put in.

• Betting Cycle: A betting round can contain multiple "betting cycles." A new betting cycle begins every time a player makes a "Bet" or a "Raise." All subsequent players must then either "Call" that amount, "Re-raise" it, or "Fold" to complete that specific cycle. Once all active players have either called the highest bet or folded, that "betting cycle" ends. If no one raises again, the round ends. If someone raises, a new betting cycle begins.

Table Positions

A player's position at the table relative to the Dealer Button is very important, as it dictates when they act in a betting round.

• Blinds: Forced bets made by specific players at the beginning of each hand to stimulate action.

  • Small Blind (SB): The player immediately to the left of the Dealer Button who posts a small, mandatory bet before hole cards are dealt.
  • Big Blind (BB): The player immediately to the left of the Small Blind who posts a larger, mandatory bet (typically double the Small Blind) before hole cards are dealt.

• Dealer Button (Button / BTN): A physical marker that indicates the player who is technically the dealer for that hand. This position rotates clockwise after each hand. The player on the Button acts last in all betting rounds after the flop, giving them a significant positional advantage.

• Under the Gun (UTG): The player immediately to the left of the Big Blind. This player acts first pre-flop and is considered to be in "early position," which is generally a disadvantage.

• Early Position: Generally refers to the first few players to act in a betting round (e.g., UTG). Playing hands from early position requires stronger cards.

• Middle Position: Players who act after those in early position but before those in late position.

• Late Position: The players who act last in a betting round (e.g., Cutoff and Button). This is the most advantageous position as you get to see how most other players act before making your decision.

• Cutoff (CO): The player sitting to the right of the Button. This is considered a strong late position.

• Orbit: Refers to a complete cycle of the Dealer Button around the table. In an orbit, every player at the table will have had the opportunity to be the Dealer, Small Blind, and Big Blind exactly once. This term is often used to describe the duration of game play (e.g., "We've played for three orbits").

Hand Outcomes & Other Terms

• Showdown: The point in a hand where players reveal their hole cards to determine who has the best five-card poker hand and wins the pot. This happens after the final betting round (the river) if more than one player remains.
• Kicker: A card that is not part of the primary five-card poker hand but is used to break ties between hands of the same rank. For example, if two players both have a pair of Aces, the player with the higher kicker card wins.
• Muck: To discard your hand without revealing it. Players often muck their hand at showdown if they know they are beaten.

We hope this terminology guide helps you feel more comfortable and confident as you play No-Limit Texas Hold'em on our site! If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to explore our rules section or contact support.