A hand, when speaking about what cards a player has, refers to a specific poker hand. If speaking in terms of playing a hand, it refers to a single game played to completion, from the deal to showdown.

Hand, Game, Round

The terms hand, game and round are used for various and multiple purposes in poker. This can often left to a bit of confusion, though usually resolved by context. There is however a common use of these terms.

A hand refers either to specific poker hand or to a single played game of poker, from deal to showdown.

A round refers either to the dealer button making one full round of the table, or to a particular betting round in a hand.

A game in general refers to the specific variant of poker being played. It may however be synonymous with hand in referring to a specific played game. This second form is less common and not recommended.