Poker is a card game of chance and strategy, where players place bets against each other to win the pot. The cards are dealt in a clockwise fashion, with one player acting as the dealer. The bets are made by putting chips into the pot, or calling a bet. The player who has the best poker hand wins the pot. Players may also bluff, where they pretend to have a strong hand to induce others to call their bet.
The earliest mention of Poker appears in the 1845 edition of Hoyle’s Games, which refers to ‘Poker or Bluff’ and 20-deck Poker. However, the game is probably much older. It is believed to be an ancestor of other modern card games such as baccarat and the Italian card game Primiera (also known as Piquet, Gilet, or Poque), with which it may share some of its rules.
Each player is given two cards, which are hidden from the other players (these are called your hole or pocket). Then there are several betting intervals depending on the particular poker variant being played.
During the betting phase, each player can add more money to the pot by saying “raise”. This makes everyone else in the hand decide whether to raise as well or call your new bet. If the majority of players decide to call, then they must reveal their hands. If none of the players have a winning hand, the pot is collected by the player who began the betting round.