Poker
Boasting a 500 year history, poker traces its origins back to Germany where the game of Pochspiel was played in the parlors of Hamburg and Dusseldorf. However, other historians have pointed out similarities with the Persian game of nas. The modern game is probably derived from the French game of poque.
Modern poker's popularity probably goes back to the American Civil War where draw poker was the game of choice. Common English dialect owes its use of certain terms such as "calling one's bluff", and "when the chips are down" to the modern card game of poker.
The game of poker exists in many variants such as stud, draw, and community poker, with Texas holdem being one of the most popular varieties. Played on the casino floor, online, and on video poker slot machines, poker is undoubtedly one of the most popular and recognizable card games in the world today.
In the last 10 years, online poker has become increasingly popular with business volume exceeding $2.5 billion in the year 2005 alone.
Game play summary:- Players are dealt a specific number of cards each by the dealer
- Cards are hidden or showing dependent on game variation
- Weak cards are replaced by potentially better cards in an exchange round
- Players engage in rounds of betting with weaker hands folding
- Final round of betting involves players calling the bet and showing their hands
- Player with the highest hand according to a poker score table wins the pot
- Players can bluff their hand, waging a war of nerves on the other players
- There is no requirement to show a folded hand at the end of a round
