poker

Card game of US origin, in which two to eight people play (usually for stakes), and try to obtain a ‘hand’ of five cards ranking higher than those of their opponents. The one with the highest scoring hand wins the ‘pot’ (the central pool of all stakes wagered).

Standard kinds of poker are five-card draw and stud. In draw poker, players receive five cards face down and then, after a round of betting, may ‘discard’ up to three cards and ‘draw’ replacement cards from the cards not dealt, in an attempt to improve their hands. A final round of betting follows. In stud, players receive one card (five-card stud) or two cards (seven-card stud) face down. Betting is done round by round as the remaining cards are dealt face up; players surmise the odds by viewing the exposed cards. The value of hands, in ascending order, is as follows: high card, one pair, two pairs, three-of-a-kind, straight (five cards in consecutive numerical order), flush (five cards of the same suit), full-house (three-of-a-kind plus one pair), four-of-a-kind, straight flush (five cards of the same suit in consecutive order). Many variations exist; sometimes ‘wild cards’ (such as deuces or one-eyed jacks) are designated. The World Series of Poker, first held in 1970, is the most prestigious annual competition.