Poker is a card game that involves betting between players, and often between the players and the dealer. Players place chips into a “pot” to indicate their intention to call or raise. When raising, a player may increase the number of chips in the pot by up to and including the total amount of the bet placed before them.
A hand of five cards is awarded the pot in most poker games, but there are many variants in which a different number and/or rank of cards are used. Some games also differ in whether or not high hands such as flushes and straights are considered part of the hand ranking.
The origin of poker is disputed, but it is generally agreed to share its heritage with the Renaissance game of primero and the English game brag (earlier bragg), both of which allowed for bluffing. In addition, it is sometimes compared to the Persian game of as nas.
A round of betting is initiated after each player has received their two hole cards, usually by 2 mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. Once the blinds are in, a further card is dealt face up, this is called the flop and another round of betting begins.
During a betting interval, each player has the option to discard some of their cards and draw replacements into their hand (this is known as opening). If they choose to do so, the other players can either “call” the new bet by placing the same number of chips in the pot, or raise it.