Almost everyone has heard of the game of poker though popular television shows, other media, or solely from Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’. However, it can be difficult for those who aren’t regular players to fully understand the card game, so here is a short rundown. Poker is as a card game originating in North America, played around the world, and has many different variations. It is most popular in in North America, although the spread of the internet versions has significantly expanded its player-base on Betist.

History

The origins of this game trace back to North America, more specifically, the United States of America around the 1800s. One of the earliest documentations of this game in 18384 is the first reference we have for the modern 52-card deck version of it.

Once the game began to develop more, it became increasingly popular in the 1970s, largely in part due to the start of the World Poker Series. This led to it becoming successful in casinos across the US. Additionally, the spread of televised media and depictions of the car game in popular media led to yet another boom during the early 2000s.

Basic Rules

While the rules may seem confusing for first time players, the basics are quite simple:

• For starters, the aim of the game is to win the “pot”, which is a term used for all the bets taken together.
• It is typically played with an entire standard deck of 52 cards.
• These are ranked, typically starting from then highest (A), then K, Q, and so on until 1, or, in some variations, A. Some cards may be designated as “wild cards”, meaning that the player can assign any name they wish to it. In most variations, the wild card is the Joker card.
• At the beginning of each game, a “dealer” is decided upon, who distributes cards to the rest of the players. In settings like casinos, a professional dealer takes this place.
• Each player makes his/her bets, and players must make their contributions to the above mentioned “pot”.
• When the game reaches its final round for betting, if there are multiple players, remaining, they must compare their cards and the person with the best hand is the winner, depending on the variation being played.

Poker has become wildly popular across the globe- it is played online as well, allowing it to reach a wider audience than before. It has evolved into several different variations including draw, stud, straight, and even single-player video games. Anyone who wants to improve their social skills, mathematics, patience, and focus should give this game a try!