Poker
A game of Texas hold 'em in progress. "Hold 'em" is currently the most
popular form of poker due its prevalence in globally televised tournaments.Poker
is a popular type of card game in which players gamble on the superior
value of the card combination ("hand") in their possession, by placing
a bet into a central pot. The winner is the one who holds the hand with
the highest value according to an established hand rankings hierarchy,
or otherwise the player who remains "in the hand" after all others have
folded (the player who makes an un-called bet.).
Poker has many variations, all following a similar pattern of play.
Depending on the variant, hands may be formed using cards which are concealed
from others, or from a combination of concealed cards and community cards.
Other games that use poker hand rankings may likewise be referred to
as "poker." Video poker is a single-player computer game that functions
much like a slot machine.
Game play
In casual play, the right to deal a 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 the button
(typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players
to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting.
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,
cuts, and deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a
time. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the
variant of poker being played. 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 call (match) the bet, the hand ends immediately, the bettor is
awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins.
This possibility of winning 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 five — as in five-card draw — 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. The key difference between stud and 'draw' poker
is that players are not allowed to discard or replace any cards.
Community card poker
Players combine individually dealt cards with a number of "community
cards" dealt face up and shared by all players. Each player will attempt
to make the best five card poker hand using the community cards and their
own face down cards. 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 poker hand rankings for order of play and other details for the most
common poker variants.
History
The history of poker is a matter of debate. It closely resembles the
Persian game of as nas, and may have been taught to settlers in New Orleans
by Persian sailors. The name of the game likely descended from the Irish
Poca (Pron. Pokah) ('Pocket') or even the French poque , which descended
from the German pochen ('to knock'). Yet it is not clear whether the origins
of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. 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 and 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 pioneer ethos.
Harry Truman's poker chips, 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). The 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 and clichés 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.
Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New JerseyModern 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, Bobby Baldwin, and Doyle Brunson. It was also
during that decade that the first serious strategy books appeared, notably
Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8) and The Book of Tells
by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by The Theory of Poker
by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0).
Poker’s popularity experienced an unprecedented spike at the beginning
of the 21st 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 a new dimension to the
poker professional's game—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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