Official Rules of Poker Games

Pot: A pot is the money wagered by players during the course of a hand. Once money enters the pot, it stays there until the winner of the hand is determined, at which point he may take the pot.

Hand: A hand means both the cards a particular player is holding, and the course of one round through all anteing, betting, and dealing until the winner is determined. After the pot is cleared, a new hand begins. Ante: Some poker games require that all participating players advance a small bet before any cards are dealt. This starts the pot in those games, and is called the ante.

Blind: Other poker games augment or substitute for antes with a blind system. A blind is a set amount placed by the two players to the dealer's left, as the deal rotates around the table. The player to the dealer's immediate left places the small blind, and the next player places the big blind, double the amount of the small. The players are not forced to see raises or stay in hands, but the blinds become part of the pot.

Bet: Player with current option decides how much, if anything, to bet. If a previous participant has already bet, that amount is the minimum the active player must bet to continue in the hand. In games with face up player cards, high hand showing bets first, and then betting proceeds clockwise. If all cards are facedown, or only community cards are showing, betting starts after the big blind before the flop, or from left of dealer after flop or if no blinds are posted. Betting always proceeds clockwise.

Call: If a bet already exists, and the active player wants to only match that bet as a requirement to proceed further, he calls the bet. Check: Player whose turn it is to bet passes without betting. This is allowed as long as there are no previous bets to match.

Fold: When a player wishes to quit a hand, he tosses his cards in, unexposed. If a player doesn't wish to meet a required bet, he must fold. Raise: When a bet has already been placed, the active player can either fold, call, or raise. Raising means betting more than the previous bettor, to force other players to match a higher amount to continue in the hand.