This article describes only the common terms, rules, and procedures in of betting in poker. See poker strategy for the strategic impact of betting.
Procedure
Players in a poker game act in turn, in clockwise rotation (acting out of turn can negatively affect other players). When it is a player's turn to act, the first verbal declaration or action he takes binds him to his choice of action; this rule prevents a player from changing his action after seeing how other players react to his initial action.A player may fold by surrendering his cards (some games may have specific rules regarding how to fold--for example, in stud poker one must turn one's upcards face down). A player may check by tapping the table or making any similar motion. All other bets are made by placing chips in front of the player, but not directly into the pot ("splashing the pot" prevents other players from verifying the bet amount).
Open
The act of making the first voluntary bet in a betting round is ca