A Beginner’s Guide to Poker

Poker is one of the world’s most popular card games, played both in casinos and online for real cash prizes. Its origins are somewhat uncertain, but it is believed to have evolved from a variety of earlier vying games like Pochen (German, 16th century), Post and Pairs (17th – 18th centuries) and Brelan (18th – 19th century). During the American Civil War, additional rules were added such as drawing cards to improve a hand and the modern five-card game became established.

Each betting interval, or round, begins when a player puts a specified number of chips into the pot. Players may then choose to “call” that bet by putting in the same amount, or raise it by putting more into the pot. Alternatively, a player may “drop” and not put any chips into the pot, discard their hand and exit the game.

In the long run, the underlying skill in poker is to maximise winning hands and minimise losses with losing hands. It requires the ability to make decisions based on probability, psychology and game theory. Players must also decide whether to bluff their opponents. In this way, they can try to get more money from the opponent by making him think they have a better hand than they actually do. It is this combination of skill and chance that makes poker so exciting.