The game of poker is a card-game for betting that requires not only skill but also some degree of luck. While poker has many variations, the basic rules of all are similar. In most games players must ante something, usually a small amount such as a nickel, and then they place bets into a pot in the center of the table. The player with the highest hand wins the pot.

Most poker games are played with a standard deck of 52 cards that include the four suits (spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds). The Ace can be high or low. Some poker games have wild cards that can take any suit or rank, or specific types of cards such as deuces.

Early vying games that may have contributed to the genesis of poker include baccarat (French, 16th – 18th centuries), piquet (French, 17th – 19th centuries), and Brelan and its derivative Bouillotte (18th – 19th century, French and English). The most relevant three-card game is belle, a game that resembles both piquet and poque, which were both very popular in the early 18th century.

This rulebook contains a large number of rules that were selected and formatted by Robert Ciaffone, a recognized expert in the history of card-games and a longtime consultant to cardrooms. A great deal of care was given in choosing, organizing and wording the rules to produce a work that is clear, concise and easily readable. Nearly all of these rules are already in use in some form, and many have been improved by the author.