Poker concept

What is Action in Poker? Definition & Examples

Here's a clear definition with real-hand context, plus how it connects to the rest of your strategy.

Quick answer

Action — Your turn to act, or the overall betting activity in a hand.

In more detail

“Action” has two meanings in poker. (1) The right to act — when it’s 'on you', you must check, bet, call, raise or fold. (2) A descriptor for how lively a table is — an 'action table' has lots of betting and big pots.

Common questions

What does Action mean in poker?

“Action” has two meanings in poker. (1) The right to act — when it’s 'on you', you must check, bet, call, raise or fold. (2) A descriptor for how lively a table is — an 'action table' has lots of betting and big pots.

Related terms

Bad Beat
Losing a hand where you were a heavy statistical favorite.
Board
The community cards dealt face-up in the middle of the table.
Cooler
A hand where two players have very strong holdings — unavoidable losses happen.
Fish
A weak, losing player.

New to poker? Start with our preflop strategy guide and the free TAG cheatsheet.