Greek Architecture. a portico, usually a detached portico of considerable length, that is used as a promenade or meeting place. stoa.
A check-raise in poker is a common deceptive play in which a player checks early in a betting round, hoping someone else will open. The player who checked then raises in the same round.
The big blind is usually (but not always) the minimum bet size. The small blind is usually half that amount, but in some situations it will be 1/3 or 2/3 of the big blind. A poker game could be played with two equal-sized blinds instead, or with three blinds. An ante is a small amount of money from every player that goes into the pot. A game may have both antes and blinds; this is common in the higher levels of No-Limit Hold'em tournaments.