Poker is one of the most popular card games based on comparison between the cards. The rules of the game may vary globally. The earliest known game of poker was played with 20 cards and today it is played using a standard deck. The popularity of online poker in India has shown a good boost as more and more people are getting into the Poker game.
What is Poker?
Poker is one type of card game that requires skill, strategy, and gambling. The main aim of playing Poker is to earn poker chips or money either by showing the best hand at the showdown or by convincing the opponent to lay their hands.
HISTORY OF POKER
Poker was developed in the United States and is believed to have originated in the early 19th century. Some of the earliest books that mentioned Poker are ‘Hildreth, J. Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky Mountains’ which described the first Poker in 1836, and ‘Bohn, Henry George’s New Handbook of Games’ which mentioned rules of Poker in print for the first time.
By the late 1980s, poker had become a common pastime in popular culture. For instance, at least 10 Star Trek episodes featured poker as a weekly event among the senior members of the original series crew.
GAMEPLAY AND STRATEGIES
Players are given two cards that are face down, then five cards that are face up. They have to make the best poker hand they can with the five community cards and the hole cards they have.
Whoever makes the best poker hand wins and gets the pot. At different times, players bet each other on how much their hands are worth. They can also fold their hands at any point.
Each betting is identical and consists of four stages:
- Pre-Flop
- Flop
- Turn
- River
Pre-Flop, this round of betting is based on the premise that each player has or does not have the best hand. Bets may be called or increased, and players may withdraw if they believe they have a poor hand.
Flop- After the first round of bets has been made, three community cards that are common to everyone at the table are put on the table face-up, and these three cards are called the Flop.
Turn- Next, one more card is dealt face up. It’s called the “turn” and there’s another round of betting. This time, it’s the player on the dealer’s left.
River- The fifth and final card is then turned over. This is known as the river. The final round of betting takes place before all the cards are turned over – the showdown.
WHERE IT IS PLAYED?
Poker is played on the poker table which is a type of table especially designed for playing poker. It provides optimized space for a specific number of players.
Some of its key features are-
- Poker tables are available in various shapes, but the most popular ones are oval and round. The shape of the table is chosen to make sure everyone has an even view of the cards and the dealer.
- Some poker tables offer chip trays or slot machines where players can conveniently store their poker chips while playing the game.
- A poker table usually has a spot for the dealer or a dealer button that goes around the table to let you know the position of the dealer.
FINAL THOUGHTS!
Poker in the present day, is one of the most engaging card games that can be played by all age groups and people with any skill level. It is played widely on both traditional as well as online platforms.