Poker Cheat Sheet
Keep this compact Texas Hold’em reference open during study or play. For comparing hands, use the complete poker hand rankings.
Betting actions
| Action | Quick meaning |
|---|---|
| Fold | Surrender your hand and chips already committed. |
| Check | Pass without betting; available only when no bet is facing you. |
| Bet | Make the first wager on the current street. |
| Call | Match the amount required to continue. |
| Raise | Increase an existing wager. “Raise to 20” means 20 total. |
| All-in | Commit your entire remaining stack as a bet, call or raise. |
| Limp | Enter preflop by calling the big blind instead of raising. |
Remember: No existing wager = bet. Increasing an existing wager = raise. A re-raise of the initial preflop raise is usually a 3-bet.
Texas Hold’em street order
| Street | Cards / event | Action starts |
|---|---|---|
| Preflop | Two private hole cards per player | First active player left of the big blind |
| Flop | Three community cards | First active player left of the button |
| Turn | Fourth community card | First active player left of the button |
| River | Fifth community card | First active player left of the button |
| Showdown | Eligible hands are compared | Best five-card hand wins or ties |
Sequence: Preflop → Flop → Turn → River → Showdown, if multiple players remain.
Position strip
Typical order: UTG → LJ/MP → HJ → CO → BTN → SB → BB
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| UTG | Under the Gun; first to act preflop. |
| LJ | Lojack; an earlier-middle seat. |
| MP | Middle Position. |
| HJ | Hijack; immediately before the cutoff. |
| CO | Cutoff; immediately before the button. |
| BTN | Button; normally acts last postflop. |
| SB | Small Blind; forced bet left of the button. |
| BB | Big Blind; forced bet left of the small blind. |
| IP | In Position; acting after an opponent postflop. |
| OOP | Out of Position; acting before an opponent postflop. |
Labels vary by table size. See poker positions for full seat maps and action-order details.
Common pot and stack terms
| Term | Quick meaning |
|---|---|
| Pot | Chips currently being contested. |
| Stack | Chips a player has available. |
| Effective stack | The smaller relevant stack between two players; calculate separately for each opponent. |
| BB | Big-blind unit used for stacks and preflop sizes, such as 50 BB or 2.5 BB. |
| Half-pot bet | 50% of the pot before betting: 10 into 20. |
| Pot-sized bet | 100% of the pot before betting: 20 into 20. |
| Raise to | The raiser’s total wager, not the amount added. |
| SRP | Single-raised pot: one preflop raise with no re-raise. |
| 3-bet pot | A pot in which the initial preflop raise was re-raised. |
| SPR | Stack-to-pot ratio: effective stack divided by the pot at the start of a postflop street. |
Pre-action checklist
- Position: Am I IP or OOP? Who acts after me?
- Effective stack: How much can each relevant opponent and I contest?
- Prior action: Who checked, bet, called or raised—and for how much?
- Likely ranges: Which hands fit each player’s seat and actions?
- Pot and price: What is in the pot, what must I call and what remains?
- Next street: What is my plan if called or raised?
Starting-hand references depend on format, position, stack depth and prior action. Use preflop charts for the stated scenario rather than as universal rules.
Table-side reminder
Position → effective stack → prior action → likely ranges → pot and price → next-street plan.