The Basics of Poker

The word “Poker” is derived from an apocryphal game from 17th century France. It is an abridged version of the Portuguese game primero, which is also called poque. This card game was brought to North America by French settlers. It is one of the oldest games still played in the world. Its apocryphal origins are uncertain. Some sources claim that the first European version was a variation on primeiro.

Many variations of poker have betting intervals. The first player, known as the “poker ante”, must place a bet. The other players must respond by placing a bet. In most games, the players purchase chips to enter the game. Each player “buys in” by placing a chip into the pot equal to the amount that each player has contributed before them. In some variants, the joker serves as the wild card.

The game involves betting with poker chips. The lowest-value chip is the white chip. A red chip, which is worth two, four, or five whites, is worth ten, twenty, or fifty whites. In poker, players “buy in” (i.e., buy in) by purchasing chips with the same denomination. In fixed-limit games, the bets and raises are fixed amounts. For example, if you are playing for money, a raise is a higher bet than your opponent’s.