Poker is a game of cards that has a considerable element of luck and requires substantial skill to be played well. The object is to minimize losses with poor hands and maximize winnings with good ones. It is customary for players to put an initial contribution, called the ante, into the pot before each betting interval. It is also customary for each player, in turn, to place chips (representing money) into the pot that are at least equal to the total contributions of the players who have preceded him or her.

The rules of poker vary, but most games involve dealing five cards to each player and the ability to raise or re-raise based on the strength of one’s hand. The earliest known predecessor of poker was a game known as Primero, which was a popular gentleman’s game around the time of the Revolutionary War and then evolved into the more complex form of bluffing-based poker that was brought to North America by French colonists in New Orleans around 1834.

Poker can be played for pennies or matchsticks, as a social activity for friends in a living room, or professionally in casinos for thousands of dollars. The latter typically employ a professional dealer who handles the cards for each hand and marks a round disc on the table known as a button to indicate the nominal dealer. Poker clubs, casinos and tournaments charge their patrons either an hourly rental fee for the privilege of playing in their premises or, as is more common, a flat percentage, called “rake,” of each pot of money. By mutual agreement, a special fund, the kitty, is established to cover expenses such as buying more decks of cards and food and drinks. When a game ends, the players divide any chips left in the kitty equally among themselves.