[A-List] Poker

Fri Apr 6 07:13:02 MDT 2007

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Poker

>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the domestic fireplace tool, see fireplace poker.
A game of Texas hold'em, the most popular form of poker, in progress.
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Holdem.jpg/230px-H
oldem.jpg> 

A game of Texas hold'em, the most popular form of poker, in progress.

Poker is a popular card game in which players with fully or partially
concealed cards make wagers into a central pot. The pot is awarded to the
player or players with the best combination of cards or to the player who
makes an uncalled bet. Poker can also refer to video poker, a single-player
game seen in casinos much like a slot machine, or to other games that use
poker hand rankings.

Contents

*	1 Game play 
*	2 History 
*	3 See also 
*	4 References 
*	5 External links 

Game play

Poker played in a non-casino setting
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Non-casino_Poker_g
ame.jpg/200px-Non-casino_Poker_game.jpg> 

Poker played in a non-casino setting

Poker has many variations, each following the same pattern of play.

The right to deal each hand typically rotates among the players and is
marked by a token called a 'dealer' button or buck. In a casino, a house
dealer handles the cards for each hand, but a button (typically a white
plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal
dealer to determine the order of betting.

One or more players are required to make forced bets to create an initial
stake for which the players will contest. The dealer shuffles the cards, he
cuts, and the appropriate number of cards are dealt to the players one at a
time. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the
variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may
be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop
in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards
previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the
central pot.

At any time during a betting round, if a player makes a bet, opponents are
required to fold, call or raise. If one player bets and no opponents choose
to match the bet, the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot,
no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This
possibility of winning a pot without showing a hand makes bluffing possible.
Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other
vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.

At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there
is a showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and
evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker
variant being played wins the pot.

The most popular poker variants are as follows:

	Draw poker 
	Players each receive five — as in five-card draw — or more cards,
all of which are hidden. They can then replace one or more of these cards a
certain number of times. 
	Stud poker 
	Players receive cards one at a time, some being displayed to other
players at the table. The key difference between stud and 'draw' poker is
that players are not allowed to discard or replace any cards. 
	Community card poker 
	Players combine individually dealt cards with a number of "community
cards" dealt face up and shared by all players. Each player will attempt to
make the best five card poker hand using the community cards and their own
face down cards. Two or four individual cards may be dealt in the most
popular variations, Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em, respectively. 

See betting (poker) for detailed rules regarding forced bets, betting
actions, limits, stakes, and all-in situations. See List of poker variants
and poker hand rankings for order of play and other details for the most
common poker variants.

History

The history of poker is a matter of debate. It closely resembles the Persian
game of as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans
by Persian sailors. The name of the game likely descended from the French
poque, which descended from the German pochen ('to knock'). Yet it is not
clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those
names. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game
of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg)
clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept
was known in other games by that time). It is quite possible that all of
these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.

English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New
Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which
player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure
of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843),
described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by
Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread
up the Mississippi and West during the gold rush, it is thought to have
become a part of the frontier pioneer ethos.

Harry Truman's poker chips
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Truman_poker_chips.jpg> 
Harry Truman's poker chips

Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the
flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many additions were
made, including draw poker, stud poker (the five-card variant), and the
straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card
(around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card
poker games (around 1925). The spread of the game to other countries,
particularly in Asia, is often attributed to the U.S. military.

The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture
and English culture. Such phrases and clichés as ace in the hole, ace up
one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip, call one's bluff, cash in, high roller,
pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips are down,
wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation, even by those
unaware of their origins at the poker table.

Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/56/Casino_poker.jpg/180px-
Casino_poker.jpg> 

Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World
Series of Poker began, in 1970. Notable champions from these early WSOP
tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, and Doyle
Brunson. It was also during that decade that the first serious strategy
books appeared, notably Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8)
and The Book of Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by
The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0).

Poker’s popularity experienced an unprecedented spike in the first years of
the 21st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and
the invention of the hole-card camera, which turned the game into a
spectator sport. Viewers could now follow the action and drama of the game,
and broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and
the World Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV
distributors. Because of the increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros
are becoming more and more like celebrities, with poker fans all over the
world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to play with them.
This increased camera exposure also brings a new dimension to the poker
professional's game—the realization that their actions may be aired later on
TV.

Major poker tournament fields have grown dramatically because of the growing
popularity of online satellite-qualifier tournaments where the prize is an
entry into a major tournament. The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions, Chris
Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event
by winning online satellites.

See also

Wikibooks
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Wikibooks-logo-en.
svg/50px-Wikibooks-logo-en.svg.png> 
Wikibooks <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/>  has more about this subject: 
Poker <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Poker> 

<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Wikiquote-logo-en.
png/50px-Wikiquote-logo-en.png> 
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: 
Poker <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/Poker> 

*	List of poker terms 
*	List of poker related topics 
*	Rule variations (poker) 
*	Poker tournament 
*	Poker strategy 
*	World Series of Poker 
*	Poker probability 
*	Online poker 
*	SAFE Port Act 
*	Ring games 
*	Poker room/card room 

References

*	Brunson, Doyle (1979). Doyle Brunson's Super System. Cardoza. ISBN
1-58042-081-8.  
*	Sklansky, David (1989). The Theory of Poker (3rd Ed). Two Plus Two
Publications. ISBN 1-880685-00-0.  
*	Vorhaus, John (2002). Killer Poker. Lyle Stuart. ISBN 0-8184-0630-5.

*	Ernest, James; Selinker, Mike; Foglio, Phil (2005). Dealer's Choice:
The Complete Handbook of Saturday Night Poker. Overlook Press. ISBN
1-58567-654-3.  
*	Caro, Mike (1978). Caro's Book of Poker Tells. Cardoza. ISBN
1-58042-082-6.  