A to Z glossary
- All-in
- Betting all of your remaining chips.
- Ante
- A small forced bet that every player posts before a hand, used in some tournament levels.
- Backdoor draw
- A hand that needs both the turn and the river to complete, such as three cards to a flush.
- Bad beat
- Losing with a very strong hand to a rare lucky card.
- Big blind (BB)
- The larger forced bet, posted by the second player left of the button. It sets the minimum bet.
- Bluff
- Betting or raising with a weak hand to make better hands fold.
- Board
- The community cards shared by all players.
- Button
- The marker showing the dealer position; it moves clockwise after each hand.
- Call
- To match the current bet.
- Check
- To pass the action without betting, when no bet has been made.
- Check-raise
- Checking, then raising after an opponent bets.
- Community cards
- The five face-up cards used by all players.
- Continuation bet
- A bet on the flop by the player who raised before the flop.
- Cutoff
- The seat immediately right of the button.
- Draw
- A hand that is not yet made but could improve, such as four cards to a flush.
- Equity
- Your share of the pot on average if the hand were played out many times.
- Flop
- The first three community cards.
- Flush
- Five cards of the same suit.
- Fold
- To discard your hand and give up the pot.
- Full house
- Three of a kind plus a pair.
- Gutshot
- A straight draw that needs one specific rank in the middle, with four outs.
- Heads-up
- A hand or game with only two players.
- Hole cards
- Your two private cards.
- Implied odds
- The extra chips you expect to win on later streets when you complete a draw.
- Kicker
- The side card that breaks ties between similar hands.
- Limp
- Calling the big blind instead of raising before the flop.
- Muck
- To discard your hand without showing it.
- Nuts
- The best possible hand given the board.
- Outs
- Unseen cards that would improve your hand to a likely winner.
- Overpair
- A pocket pair higher than any card on the board.
- Pot
- All the chips bet in a hand so far.
- Pot odds
- The ratio between the size of the pot and the bet you must call.
- Position
- Where you sit relative to the button, which determines when you act.
- Raise
- To increase an existing bet.
- Rake
- A fee taken by casinos from real-money pots. MoonLight Poker takes none: chips are virtual.
- River
- The fifth and final community card.
- Semi-bluff
- A bluff with a draw that could become the best hand.
- Set
- Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one card on the board.
- Showdown
- The reveal of hands after the final betting round.
- Side pot
- A separate pot created when a player is all-in for less than the others.
- Small blind (SB)
- The smaller forced bet, posted by the player left of the button.
- Straight
- Five cards in sequence, of mixed suits.
- Suited
- Two hole cards of the same suit.
- Tilt
- Playing badly because of frustration or emotion.
- Turn
- The fourth community card.
- Under the gun (UTG)
- The first player to act before the flop.
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Last updated 2026-10-01. MoonLight Poker is a free-to-play game with virtual chips only; this page is educational and not gambling advice.