Poker is a card game in which players wager chips (representing money) and place them into the pot before each betting interval. The player with the best hand at the end of a betting interval wins the pot. There are several variants of the game, each with its own rules and betting structure. A complete set of cards is dealt to each player; they may then either reveal them to determine their hand or leave them hidden from their opponents.
The earliest poker games likely evolved from a 17th-century Spanish game called primero, and later from the popular gentleman’s game three-card brag, which was widely played in Europe by the time of the American Revolutionary War. Poker became a widespread game in the United States and other countries with significant legal and informal gambling activities throughout the early 20th century.
A standard poker hand consists of five cards. Ties are broken by the highest unmatched pair, three of a kind, straight, or flush. The rank of a poker hand is determined by its odds, with higher hands earning more money than lower ones.
Before each betting interval, players put in a blind bet and/or an ante. They then receive cards, which they keep hidden from their opponents (called hole cards). Players usually use poker chips, with each white chip worth a certain amount of money (usually the minimum ante or bet) and each red chip representing five whites. Players can raise, call, or check a bet. If a player cannot raise a bet, they must drop the hand and leave the table.