Basic Five Card Draw Terminology

By Gary Steele

Pot – The total money the player with the best hand will win.
Bet – Put money in the pot.
Check - Choose not to bet when nobody has bet before you.
Call – Put money equal to another player’s bet in the pot to stay in the hand.
Raise – Increase the amount of money other players have to pay to stay in hand.
Pot Odds – Mathematically figure out if it is profitable for you to call a bet.
Rags – A bad hand without much chance of winning.
Bluffing – Betting/Raising to make other players fold when you have Rags.
Bad Beat – Losing a pot to a great hand when you have a really good hand .

Definitions of common Hold Cards and Hands

Boat – Full House (see Hand Rankings - 7, 7, 7, 10, 10).
Trips – Three of a Kind (8, 8, 8).
On A Draw – Need helpful cards on the draw to make a good hand.
Limit – Bets and raises are fixed – can only bet the determined Limit.
Pot Limit – Bets cannot exceed the amount of money in the pot.
No Limit – Any player can bet any amount at any point in the hand.

On A Draw Detailed

Open Ended Straight Draw – your hand contains 4 cards in sequence, such as 5, 6, 7, 8 – either a 4 or a 9 will give you a straight.

Inside Straight Draw– your hand contains one missing card Inside the middle of a straight such as 4, 5, 7, 8 – only a 6 will give you a straight.

Flush Draw – You have four of one suit, you need a fifth for a Flush.

Outs – The number of cards which could appear in the following rounds to make your hand good – If you have four Hearts you have 9 outs, or 9 Hearts left in the deck which will give you a flush – See the Pot Odds Lesson.