Poker, the undisputed king of card games, is a mixture of skill, cunning, and intelligence with a dash of luck. Poker has come a long way; from the humble halls of New Orleans to the globally televised tournaments.
Players in a poker match are dealt cards ranging from one to several cards depending on the poker variant being played. The values of the cards are concealed by the players and bets are placed into a common fund called "the pot". The winner of the hand takes the pot.
The game proceeds in a clockwise motion and the dealer for the current hand is differentiated from the other players by a token or marker called "the buck". Most games start with an "ante" which is a form of forced bet wherein all the players bet an equal amount creating the pot's initial stake. As the game progresses players have the option of discarding their existing cards and requesting from the dealer additional cards to replace the discarded ones.
Several betting rounds may occur within one hand or deal. Whenever a player makes or raises the bet, the other players have to "call," "raise the bet," or "fold". If no player calls or raises the bet, the player who made the initial additional bet wins the pot. The winner does not have to show his cards. If one or more "calls" on the bet, they have to show their cards and the player with the best hand wins the pot.
The origin of poker is unclear. Some historians argue that poker evolved from various card games from Persia, Germany, France and England. The closest ancestor to modern day poker is said to have appeared in New Orleans around 1829. A 20 card deck is distributed evenly among four players and the player with the highest value based on the combination of cards wins the game. The possible winning combinations according to their strength are the following: one pair, two pair, triplets, full and four of a kind. The unbeatable combinations at that time were four kings and an ace or four aces with any other card. The popularity of poker was growing exponentially and the 20 card deck was eventually replaced by the 52 card deck to accommodate more players. The 52 card deck modified the hierarchy of the winning combinations, paving the way for the "flush" combination. As the game's popularity spread, numerous variants of the game developed.
