Poker glossary · Basics
What does “pot” mean in poker?
Definition
Pot: The pot is the total of all chips bet by every player during a hand, which the winner or winners collect at the end.
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Every bet, call, raise, blind and ante goes into the pot. Bet sizes are usually described as a fraction of the pot, such as a half-pot or pot-sized bet. Knowing the size of the pot is the first step in working out your pot odds and deciding whether a call is worth it.
Example: Blinds are 1/2. You raise to 6 from the cutoff, the button calls and both blinds fold. The pot is 6 + 6 + 1 + 2 = 15 before the flop.
Related terms
- Pot oddsThe price you’re getting: the call amount compared with the total pot after you call.
- ShowdownShowdown is the point after the final betting round where the remaining players reveal their hands and the best hand wins the pot.
- Side potA side pot is a separate pot created when one player is all-in and the others keep betting chips the all-in player can’t match.