Poker is a card game in which players place bets against each other. There are a variety of betting strategies, but all involve risk and the possibility of losing money. The goal is to maximise the value of your winning hands and minimise your losses from losing ones. This is known as the Min-Max strategy.
The game starts with two cards being dealt face down to each player. Then there is a round of betting, initiated by mandatory bets (called blinds) placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. Once the betting is over the next set of cards are dealt, face up, and there is another round of betting.
If a player has a strong hand they should make a bet. This will force weaker hands out of the hand, and raise the value of the pot. If you have a bad hand it is best to fold, unless you are bluffing.
The earliest mention of Poker appears in an edition of Hoyle’s Games from 1845, though it may have been in use before then. The game was first mentioned in English literature in the published reminiscences of General Schenck, who claimed to have introduced the game to England while on a weekend retreat in Somerset. There are also references to other vying games, including Belle (french, 17th – 18th centuries), Flux and Trente-un (French, 18th century), Post and Pair (English and American, late 18th – 19th centuries), and Brag (18th – 19th centuries). These earlier games were usually involving bluffing or the ability to read the intentions of others.