Official poker refers to a wide range of poker games and tournaments. These include cash games, zone poker (also known as fast-fold poker), jackpot SNGs and most major tournaments.

In order to win a poker tournament, you have to pay an entry fee and fight for a share of the prize pool. Unlike cash games, which can go on indefinitely, poker tournaments officially end when a player has all of their chips.

Depending on the rules of the tournament, players may be allowed to re-buy into the event for a set fee. This is usually a feature of the re-buy and unlimited rebuy variants of poker, which offer an opportunity for players to increase their winnings.

Another way to increase your winnings is by improving your status in the poker scene, which will make you eligible for better sponsor deals and more lucrative tournaments. This is why many online players choose to progress through a series of poker tournaments in order to reach the top of the leaderboards.

One of the world’s oldest games, poker has its roots in a variety of cultures and regions. The game was popular among crews of riverboats in the United States during the Civil War and grew to become a staple of Wild West saloons.

The game’s most famous variation is Texas hold ’em, which is played by millions of people across the globe each year. The world’s largest professional poker tournament is the WSOP, which features a series of high-profile events that attract some of the best players in the world. During the WSOP Main Event, winners take home $10,000,000 and an incredibly coveted WSOP bracelet.