Open

In poker, the term open describes the very first raise in a hand. With this first raise, the player is opening the action.

For example, you could say: “The action folded to Jim in the hijack, and he opened for $500.”

Connected to this term is the expression “open limp.” This is when the first player to act (or the first player to act after those before him had folded) decides to just call the blind instead of raising.

If you want to use these terms correctly, keep in mind that they only refer to the very first player to commit an action by which they are putting chips into the pot. If a player in front of you open limps and you raise, you’re not open raising as the action has already been opened (albeit with a non-aggressive action).

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