"Poker player" redirects here. For the magazine, see Poker Player

A game of Texas hold 'em in progress. "Hold 'em" is 🗝 a popular form of poker.

Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is 🗝 best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, but in some places the rules may vary. While 🗝 the earliest known form of the game was played with just 20 cards, today it is usually played with a 🗝 standard deck, although in countries where short packs are common, it may be played with 32, 40 or 48 cards.[1] 🗝 Thus poker games vary in deck configuration, the number of cards in play, the number dealt face up or face 🗝 down, and the number shared by all players, but all have rules that involve one or more rounds of betting.

In 🗝 most modern poker games, the first round of betting begins with one or more of the players making some form 🗝 of a forced bet (the blind or ante). In standard poker, each player bets according to the rank they believe 🗝 their hand is worth as compared to the other players. The action then proceeds clockwise as each player in turn 🗝 must either match (or "call") the maximum previous bet, or fold, losing the amount bet so far and all further 🗝 involvement in the hand. A player who matches a bet may also "raise" (increase) the bet. The betting round ends 🗝 when all players have either called the last bet or folded. If all but one player folds on any round, 🗝 the remaining player collects the pot without being required to reveal their hand. If more than one player remains in 🗝 contention after the final betting round, a showdown takes place where the hands are revealed, and the player with the 🗝 winning hand takes the pot.

With the exception of initial forced bets, money is only placed into the pot voluntarily by 🗝 a player who either believes the bet has a positive expected value or who is trying to bluff other players 🗝 for various strategic reasons. Thus, while the outcome of any particular hand significantly involves chance, the long-run expectations of the 🗝 players are determined by their actions chosen on the basis of probability, psychology, and game theory.