Poker Glossary

Poker terms beginning with a "F"

Face Cards

Cards with pictures, i.e., king, queen, and jack. Also known as picture cards or royal cards.

Family Pot

A hand in which most or all players at the table call before the flop.

Fast Play

Playing a strong hand aggressively by betting and raising rather than slow playing to disguise the strength of the hand.

Fifth Street

Describes the fifth community card. Another, more commonly used term is river.

Final Table

The last table in a multi-table tournament, where the remaining players compete for the top prizes.

Fish

A poker term for weak and inexperienced players who are considered easy prey for more knowledgeable players. The opposite is a shark.

Five Card Draw

The classic poker variant seen in nearly every Western film. Each player gets five cards known only to them; there are no community cards. You may exchange cards only once.

Five Card Stud

A poker variant where each player gets five cards, with the first dealt face down. The remaining four cards are visible to all players at the table.

Fixed Limit

Unlike No-Limit poker games, bets and raises are precisely defined in Fixed-Limit games. Pre-flop and after the flop, you can only raise in increments equal to the small blind. After the turn and river cards are dealt, you can only raise in increments equal to the big blind. These bets are called small bet and big bet, respectively.

Flat Call

To call a bet without raising, often done to disguise the strength of a hand.

Flip

A term used when two hands have roughly equal chances of winning, often seen in all-in situations pre-flop, such as Ace of Any Color King of Any Color versus Queen of Any Color Queen of Any Color.

Float

To call a bet with a weak hand or drawing hand with the intention of bluffing on a later street if the opponent shows weakness.

Flop

The first three community cards dealt in Texas Hold'em or Omaha.

Flush

Five cards of the same suit. Special types include the straight flush and the royal flush.

Flush Draw

A type of draw. A flush draw is a hand with four cards of the same suit that has the potential to become a flush on the turn or river.

Fold

When you choose not to call (or raise), you must fold your cards. Also known as drop.

Fold Equity

The value gained from an opponent folding to a bet or raise, particularly relevant in situations where a player's hand might not win at showdown.

Forced Bet

A mandatory bet required to start the action in a hand, such as the blinds in Texas Hold'em or the bring-in in Stud games.

Four Flush

A hand with four cards of the same suit, one card short of a flush.

Four Card Draw

A draw variant where players can exchange up to four of their cards to make a better hand.

Four of a Kind

Refers to four cards of the same rank (from 2222 to AAAA). Another term for it is quads (e.g., Ace of Spades Ace of Hearts Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds).

Fourth Street

Describes the fourth community card. Another, more commonly used term is turn.

Foul Hand

A hand that is not playable due to an irregularity, such as too many cards, too few cards, or improperly marked cards.

Four-Bet

A re-raise after an initial raise and re-raise, indicating a very strong hand or a bluff.

Freeroll

A tournament with no buy-in required but with some prizes to win, such as cash, tokens for other tournaments, or similar. Participation may be open to all or limited by various requirements, such as collecting a certain number of points during the previous month, a first deposit, registering as a new player, etc. The playing style of very inexperienced players—especially in early blind levels—tends to be erratic and sometimes resembles gambling more than actual poker. This is one reason serious poker players often avoid freerolls.

Freezeout

A type of poker tournament where rebuys are not allowed. Once you lose all your chips, you are out of the tournament for good.

Free Card

A turn or river card that a player sees without having to call a bet, often as a result of an opponent checking.

Free Ride

Another term for seeing a free card, often due to no bets being made in a betting round.

Frequent Player Points (FPP)

Points earned by players on online poker sites based on the amount of play or rake generated, often redeemable for tournament entries, cash, or merchandise.

Full Bet Rule

A rule in Limit poker that requires a player to make a full bet to complete an action, rather than a partial bet.

Full House

A hand formed with three of a kind and a pair. E.g., King of Spades King of Hearts King of Clubs and 5 of Spades 5 of Diamonds.

Fee

See house fee.