Cards and positions
Hole cards: your private cards. Board: the community cards. Button / BTN: the dealer position marker. Small Blind / SB and Big Blind / BB: the two blind positions. Ante: a forced contribution separate from the blinds.
Stages of a hand
Pre-flop: before the community cards. Flop: the first three community cards. Turn: the fourth community card. River: the fifth community card. Showdown: revealing and comparing hands. Street: a dealing stage and its associated betting round.
Pots and chips
Pot: the chips being contested. Side pot: a separate pot for eligible players. Stack: available chips. All-in: committing all available chips. Split pot: a pot shared by tied players. Kicker: an unpaired card used to compare hands of the same category. Effective stacks are generally limited by the shorter of the stacks involved.
Common tournament abbreviations
MTT: multi-table tournament. SNG: Sit & Go. Late registration: joining after the start. Re-entry: registering again after elimination, when allowed. Freezeout: a format that generally does not permit another entry after elimination. Bubble: the stage just before the paid places.
The same abbreviation may be used with different event conditions. This reference explains the names; the specific event rules remain authoritative.
Rules may vary between platforms, tables and events. This guide explains common rules; available games, eligibility and dispute procedures are determined by the platform's official announcements.
Keep exploring
This guide was independently compiled in Chinese. The following sources let you verify the rules.
PokerStars official game guide(new window)PokerStars tournament rules(new window)