cash-game
Bad Beat Jackpot
A bad beat jackpot is a bonus paid when a very strong hand loses to a stronger one under the room's conditions.
Bomb Pot
A bomb pot is a hand in which every player antes the same amount and the flop comes immediately, with no preflop betting.
Buy the Button
To buy the button is to pay or raise to get position on the button.
Buy-In
A buy-in is the amount of money you pay to enter a game or tournament.
Cash Game
A cash game is a poker game played for real money, where players can join and leave at any time.
Chop
A chop is a pot divided equally between players with equal hands, or a tournament deal to split the prize money.
Deep Stack
A deep stack is a large number of chips compared with the stakes or the starting stack.
Felted
Getting felted means losing your entire stack, so only the felt of the table is left in front of you.
High Roller
A high roller is a player who plays at very high stakes. The word is also used for tournaments with very high buy-ins, usually $25,000 or more.
High‑Stakes
High stakes are the biggest betting levels in poker. Online, cash games at $5/$10 and up are considered high stakes, and in live rooms the label applies to games above about $10/$25.
House
The house is the casino or card room that runs the poker game and makes its money from the game. At a casino table, players do not play against the house but against each other, and the house takes a fee called the rake.
Low Limit
A low limit game is a game in which the amounts wagered are small. Players can learn there with little risk.
Match the Stack
Match the stack is a room rule that allows a player in a cash game to add chips to equal the largest stack at the table. It lets players keep up with a big stack that has grown during the game.
Micro‑Stakes
Micro stakes are the lowest stakes in poker, usually found only online. Cash games up to $0.10/$0.25 (25NL) are considered micro stakes. The buy-ins can be just a few dollars.
Mid‑Stakes
Mid stakes are the middle levels of poker, above low stakes and below high stakes. Online they are roughly $1/$2 to $3/$6, and live games from about $5/$10 are often called mid or high stakes depending on the room.
Rake
The rake is the commission that a casino or poker room takes from each pot in a cash game. In tournaments, the equivalent is the entry fee. It is how the house makes its money.
Rathole
To rathole is to take chips off the table during a cash game, or to leave after a winning session and return with only a small buy-in. In many places, it is against the rules.
Ring Game
A ring game is another name for a cash game, a non-tournament game in which players can buy in and leave whenever they want. The chips have real money value.
Side Game
A side game is a cash game that runs at the same time as a large tournament. It is often filled with players who were eliminated from the tournament or who chose not to play it.