Poker
Poker is a
card game, the most popular of a class of games called
vying games, in which players with fully or partially concealed cards make wagers into a central
pot, which is awarded to the player or players with the best combination of cards or to the player who makes an uncalled bet. Poker can also refer to
video poker, a single-player game seen in casinos much like a slot machine, or to other games that use poker hand rankings.
Poker is played in hundreds of
variations, but most follow the same basic pattern of play.
The right to deal each hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a
'dealer' button or buck. In a
casino a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but a button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting.
For each hand, one or more players are required to make
forced bets to create an initial stake for which the players will contest. The dealer
shuffles the cards, he
cuts, and the appropriate number of cards are dealt to the players one at a time. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several
betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.
At any time during a betting round, if a player makes a bet, opponents are required to fold, call or raise. If one player bets and no opponents choose to match the bet, the deal ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next deal begins. The ability to win a pot without showing a hand makes
bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.
At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a
showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their
hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot.
The most popular poker variants are as follows:
Draw poker:Players each receive 5 â€" as in five-card draw â€" or more cards, all of which are hidden. They can then replace one or more of these cards a certain number of times. ;
Stud poker:Players receive cards one at a time, some being displayed to other players at the table.
Community card poker:Players combine individually dealt cards with a number of "community cards" dealt face up and shared by all players. Two or four individual cards may be dealt in the most popular variations, Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em, respectively.
See betting (poker) for detailed rules regarding forced bets, betting actions, limits, stakes, and all-in situations.
See List of poker variants and hand (poker) for details about the order of play and hand rankings for the most common poker variants.The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the game likely descended from the
French poque, which descended from the
German pochen ('to knock'; also means 'to brag' in Dutch). Yet it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the
Persian game of
as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in
New Orleans by Persian sailors. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the
Renaissance game of
primero and the French
brelan. The
English game
brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from
brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time). It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.
English actor
Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book,
An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by
Mississippi riverboats, on which
gambling was a common pastime. As it spread up the Mississippi and West during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier, pioneering ethos.
Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the
flush was introduced. During the
American Civil War, many additions were made, including
draw poker,
stud poker (the five-card variant), and the
straight. Further American developments followed, such as the
wild card (around 1875),
lowball and
split-pot poker (around 1900), and
community card poker games (around 1925). Spread of the game to other countries, particularly in
Asia, is often attributed to the
U.S. military.
The game and
jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases as
ace in the hole, ace up one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip, call one's bluff, cash in, high roller, pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips are down, wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation, even by those unaware of their origins at the poker table.
Modern
tournament play became popular in American casinos after the
World Series of Poker began, in 1970. Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include
Johnny Moss,
Amarillo Slim, and
Doyle Brunson. It was also during that decade that the first serious strategy books appeared, notably
Super/System by
Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1580420818) and
The Book of Tells by
Mike Caro (ISBN 0897461002), followed later by
The Theory of Poker by
David Sklansky (ISBN 1880685000).
Poker's popularity experienced an unprecedented spike in the first years of the twenty-first century, largely because of the introduction of
online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera, which turned the game into a
spectator sport. Viewers could now follow the action and drama of the game, and broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the
World Series of Poker and the
World Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors. Because of the increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros are becoming more and more like celebrities, with poker fans all over the world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to play with them. This increased camera exposure also brings about a new dimension to the poker pro's gameâ€"the realization that their actions may be aired later on TV.
Major poker tournament fields have grown dramatically because of the growing popularity of online
satellite-qualifier tournaments where the prize is an entry into a major tournament. The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions,
Chris Moneymaker and
Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event by winning online satellites.
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Poker jargon*
List of poker related topics*
Betting (poker)*
Rule variations (poker)*
List of poker variants*
Online poker*
Ring games
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Poker room/card room*
Poker tournament*
Poker strategy*
World Series of Poker*
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Yahoo Poker Directory*
Google Poker Directory*
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