September 13, 2024

Poker Game Terminologies You Should Know

If you are a beginner to online casino games in Singapore, one of the live casino games that may have attracted your attention will be poker game. Unfortunately, for a new casino player, the poker game may feel intimidating, since there are card rankings to remember, and even poker lingo that may require time to remember and understand.

Lucky for you, we have prepared this guide to help you understand poker language so you can enjoy the live casino card game in online casino Singapore like MMC996 Singapore or other online casinos with more confidence even as a beginner in poker. Here are the important poker game terminologies you should know.

Poker Hand Rankings

Before we delve right in to the terms, it is crucial for beginners to know how your card combos rank in the game. This is known as the poker hand – and you should be familiar with the hand hierarchy, which can be done via frequent practices and betting in trusted online casinos.

The following are the poker hand rankings from the highest to the lowest rank:

  1. Royal flush consists of A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit.
  2. Straight flush means having five cards of the same suit in sequence.
  3. Four of a kind refers to cards of the same value, and they can be of different suit.
  4. Full house means having a hand that consists of a pair of cards plus three of a kind.
  5. Flush means having five cards that are of the same suit but they don’t have to be in sequence.
  6. Straight cards refer to having five cards in sequence without being in the same suit.
  7. Three of a kind consists of cards of the same value but not counting on same suit.
  8. Two pair means a hand consisting of two different pairs of cards of the same value.
  9. Pair refers to having one pair of cards of the same value.
  10. High Card refers to the highest card value or rank when you don’t have any of the poker combos in play.

Based on the above poker hands, for example, if you have four of a kind in play but your opponent has only straight cards, your poker hand wins.

Common Poker Terminologies 

Action: The action is a bet made to force an opponent to go all in, but the term is more common in online poker.

All In: One of the most common terms used in poker is “all in.” In this type of play, a player puts all of his or her chips into the pot. This can also be referred to as a big blind. In community poker, this is known as catching a runner.

Ante: The Ante, or minimum amount of action that a player must have, is determined at the beginning of the game.

Angle shoot: An angle shoot is an action that a player announces when it is not his turn to act. This is considered unfair because the player who makes the announcement does not have the information necessary to make a decision. 

Blind: This is a type of forced bet, posted by players to the left of the dealer, either as small blind or big blind.

Bluff: Players may bluff in a game of poker, which means they can make a bet to either disrupt their play pattern from being noticed by opponents or to deceive opponents into winning the game, despite their cards being unlikely to have the best hands. 

Board: The board refers to the collective cards on the poker table, or the entire community cards.

Cap: A cap refers to the limits to number of raises allowed in the poker game.

Hole card: Hole cards are also known as pocket cards, which are two cards dealt at the beginning of the game.

Hero hand: A hero hand is the best hand that a player can have based on traditional poker hand rankings. A high hand is the best possible way to defeat another player, and it is often useful in games like high-low split. The high card is often used to win against a weak opponent, especially if it’s a kicker.

Hero call: A player may call the opponent whom is suspected to have a weaker hand and is bluffing in the game.

Flop: After the opening deal and first round of betting, the dealer will deal three cards facing up, and this 3-card is known as the flop. This term also refers to the act of flopping cards. 

Fold: The fold is when a player discards the hand and forfeits the stakes in the pot.

Open: To start the bet first.

Pot: The term pot refers to the money in the middle of the table. 

Railbird: Spectator of a poker game that does not participate in the gameplay.

Raise: This is an act of increasing the bet amount.

River: The river is the final card or fifth card that is added to the community cards on the table.

Rock and Door: A person who is a “rock” is a player who rarely calls their own poker hands. A player can be referred to as a “rock” if he or she is not willing to raise, or as a “door” if the opponent is not in the same position as he or she. In the game of stud poker, the first window card is called the ‘door’ and the door card is the upcard. 

Spread: The difference between the minimum and maximum bets. 

Soft-play: Intentionally going easy on a player. However, this may result in penalties and is usually prohibited in a poker room.

Street: Also refers to a betting round or a card dealt.

Tell: A change in poker player’s behavior which may lend some indication to a player’s hand.

Turn: Also known as the “fourth street”, a turn is the fourth card dealt players.

Conclusion

There are more to poker terms and glossary but the above terminologies are the common lingo you will encounter in a game of poker. It is crucial to pick up the terms if you wish to play the game smoothly, especially since these words are often used to describe and signals the best possible hands. It can be a game-changer as these words may help you understand your position on the poker table to know if you are able to win the game outrightly with the best hands, or bluff your way to a win.

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