Poker terms explained.

New to the table? Here are the poker words you'll hear most often, in plain English.

All-in

Betting all the chips you have left.

Ante

A small bet everyone pays before a hand, on top of the blinds.

Big blind and small blind

Forced bets from the two players after the dealer button, which give every hand something to play for.

Board

The community cards in the middle of the table, which everyone can use.

Button

The marker for the dealer position. It moves one seat each hand, and the player on it acts last after the flop.

Call

Matching the current bet.

Check

Passing without betting, when nobody has bet yet in this round.

Flop

The first three community cards.

Fold

Giving up your hand and any chips you've already put in the pot.

Hole cards

Your two private cards.

Kicker

A spare card that breaks a tie between otherwise equal hands.

Muck

Folding or throwing away your cards without showing them.

No-Limit

A game where you can bet any amount up to all your chips, once you've met the minimum raise.

Pot

All the chips bet in the current hand.

Raise

Increasing the current bet.

Rebuy

Buying back in with more chips after losing your stack, if the table allows it.

River

The fifth and final community card.

Showdown

When the players left after the last betting round reveal their cards.

Side pot

A separate pot created when a player is all-in and others keep betting. The all-in player can't win it.

Turn

The fourth community card.

Ready to put them to use? Read the Texas Hold'em rules or see how to host a game.