Poker is a card game played between players, where each player attempts to make the best hand. The winning hand is awarded the pot.

In the first round, each player must choose a betting option and make a bet. These bets may be made with chips or coins. They can be folded or raised. If a player folds, he or she is eliminated from the round.

The next round of cards is dealt clockwise around the table. Betting is held between each card, until all but one player folds. Once the round is complete, the remaining player collects the pot.

Poker was probably derived from the French game poque and the Spanish primero, though some suggest that it also has ancestry with Persian game as nas. During the American Civil War, stud poker was introduced, as were wild cards. Some versions of the game do not consider flushes.

Today, there are hundreds of variations of the game. Most are played with a standard 52-card deck. Players bet in a single round, unless they are trying to bluff others. Sometimes the pot is split between the highest and lowest hands.

Some versions of the game incorporate bluffing, such as in English games brag and three-card brag. While they differ slightly from other forms of poker, they have the same concept.

Among the most popular variants of the game are draw and stud. Each player is dealt five cards and can discard some. However, other variants require the highest hand to win the pot.