The Basics of Poker

The game of Poker has a long and storied history. Its origins are somewhat apocryphal, though we do know that the word poker originates from a 17th century French card game called poque. The word “poque” is derived from the Spanish word primero, which means “a trick.” As poker evolved to include a number of different variants, the word poque was shortened to “poker.”

In the simplest form of poker, each player is dealt five cards and has no knowledge of the others’ cards. Players keep their cards from each other, and only look at their cards during the initial betting phase. After each player has seen all of the other players’ hands, the first betting phase begins. Usually, the betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer and the player who placed the blind bet. After the first round, the players go around the table, dealing each other one card at a time.

In a multi-player game, each player receives a different set of chips. In the case of a tie, the pot is divided evenly amongst all the players. If two or more players tie, the pot is shared among them. In a five-player game, the players are required to buy in and place a bet. However, in a smaller game, there are fewer restrictions on the amount of money players can bet.