If you’ve ever sat around a poker table, or watched the World Series of Poker on television, you may have heard people talking about “upping the ante,” but what does that actually mean? Well, the ante is the small bet that players are required to make before game play begins. As the game goes on and players bet more money, the pot grows and the ante is therefore “upped.” Today, this phrase is used both inside and outside the casino to signify when someone is pushing the envelope or making risky decisions.
Here are a few more poker terms that you should familiarize yourself with before you take a seat at a table in the big leagues:
THE BURN CARD refers to the top card that the dealer discards before each betting round begins. In the event that there was some sort of distinguishing mark on the top card there might be an unfair advantage for some players. The burn card covers the top card as a precaution.
DRAWING DEAD means that though you’re continuing to draw while playing a draw poker game, you know that there are no cards left in the deck that can make you a winning hand.
THE FLOP refers to the first three community cards that are dealt after the initial betting round is over.
A FLUSH indicates a poker hand that is made of five cards of the same suit. These cards do not have to be in any numerical order.
A FULL HOUSE means that your hand is made of of any three-of-a-kind combination and an additional pair.
A KICKER is the card that essentially acts as a tiebreaker in the event that the final two players have matching hands. For example, if both players have a flush, the player with the highest card making up their flush wins the hand.
POCKET CARDS refer to the cards that are unique to each player. These are specific to the player that is dealt them, in contrast to the community cards, which are dealt out by the dealer for all players to make a hand from.
THE RIVER indicates the very last card that the dealer draws. It is the final of the five community cards.
THE TURN indicates the fourth community card that is dealt, right before the river. It is dealt face-up and is also known to some poker players as “Fourth Street.”
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