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"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.