Hole Card

In stud poker games, such as Omaha or Texas Hold’em, the term hole card refers to the cards that are dealt face-down. These down cards are dealt out by the dealer to the players. The ability to anticipate the contents of the hole cards is an important skill for a poker player.

The opposite of a hole card is a community card. In stud poker, community cards are dealt face-up in three stages (flop, turn, and river) and can be used by all players to create card combinations.

Hole cards are also sometimes called pocket cards.

Hole card:

• A face-down card in stud poker.