Poker

About this board game

Poker is a classic card game for 2–10 players, played in about 60 minutes and released in 1810. Using a standard 52-card deck, players compete to win the pot containing all bets made during a deal.

Players receive cards that are usually reduced to a five-card Poker hand. Across rounds of betting, players can use bluffing to influence the table, continue matching the bets, or concede the pot by folding. Play continues until all bets are squared up or every other player has folded.

When the betting is complete, a showdown takes place if more than one player remains. The hands are fully revealed, and the player holding the best combination of five cards wins the pot. Sometimes Jokers are added as wild cards, enabling an additional top-ranking hand.

The standard Poker hands, ranked from highest to lowest, are:

• Five of a Kind: Four cards of one rank and a wild card, when wild cards are used.
• Straight Flush: Five cards in rank sequence, all of the same suit; the highest is nominally a Royal Flush.
• Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank.
• Full House: Three cards of one rank and a pair of another.
• Flush: Five cards of the same suit.
• Straight: Five cards in sequence of rank.
• Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card.

With its blend of hand comparison, betting, and bluffing, Poker turns each deal into a contest over both the cards and the pot.