Poker is a card game with an element of chance but it also requires some skill and psychology. There are many different poker games, but they all follow similar basic rules. To start with you must ante up something (the amount varies by game, our games are typically a nickel). Players are then dealt 2 cards and betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer. When betting gets around to you, you can call, raise or fold your hand. If you call, then you must match or raise the last bet. The highest hand wins the pot.
A pair, three of a kind, four of a kind, straight or flush are all winning hands in Poker. If a pair or three of a kind are tied, the higher-ranked card breaks the tie. A high card, such as an Ace, can also break ties, but only if the cards outside the pair or trio are of equal rank.
Poker evolved from a variety of earlier vying games, including Belle, Flux and Trente-un (French, 17th – 18th centuries), Post and Pair and Brag (English and American, 18th century) and Bouillotte (later French and English). The most likely immediate ancestor was Poque (French, 15th – 20th centuries), which used a single deck with only ten cards and was played for small stakes.