Poker is a card game with many variants. It can be played between two or more players, and it is a game where chance is significant but skill is required to minimize losses with bad hands and maximize wins with good ones.
Before the cards are even dealt, players are required to put an initial contribution into the pot, usually a small amount (a dollar or more for our games), called the ante. Players then place bets into the central pot during each betting interval. The player with the highest hand wins the pot at the end of each betting round.
When the cards are dealt, each player has a set of two personal cards which they use along with five community cards in order to make a poker hand. The aim is to get the best possible 5 card poker hand. The higher the poker hand, the more likely it is that your opponents will fold, meaning you can win the pot with all bets made so far without showing your cards!
The game was developed in the early 19th century, but it didn’t really catch on until around 1900. It became more popular with the invention of television and the growth of professional tournaments. Poker has now become a major spectator sport, and is popular all over the world. It is played in hundreds of variants, but the following basic rules apply to most of them. The game is typically played using a standard 52-card pack, with some variants adding jokers or extra cards.