Poker is a card game for two to fourteen players, played with chips (representing money) and a common pot. The aim is to make the highest ranking five-card hand from your own 2 cards and the 5 community cards in front of you. Players are able to bet on their own hands and on other players’ hands, and they may also bluff. The player with the highest hand wins all the chips in the pot.
During the betting phase, players reveal their hands one by one. The player who begins this process is known as the dealer or the bettor, and he or she has the right to raise his or her own bet, or fold. Players who call a bet must match it in order to stay in the pot, and players who fold do not have any chance of winning.
In addition to raising and calling, players can also “check” when they are not interested in placing any additional bets. The player who checks is not required to place any chips in the pot, but he or she must wait until it is his or her turn to act again.
Earlier vying games have been documented in many different countries, and these can be divided into categories based on the number of cards dealt and the method of betting. The earliest of these are the three-card games Belle, Flux and Post (17th – 18th centuries), and Brag (18th century). These are generally regarded as precursors to poker.