The house dealer, who deals every poker hand, is not one of the players. In Poker, the dealer, or the “buck,” is a white plastic disk that indicates the nominal dealer. Bets are placed by the players clockwise around the poker table. During the course of the game, the dealer may bluff another player, or place all of his or her chips in the pot. In any case, the winner of the game receives the entire pot. The pot limit dictates the range of bets.
In poker, each round begins with a player betting, and the rest of the players raising or folding. The winner of the pot, or the ‘pot’, is the one who holds the highest ranking hand. The betting intervals occur after each round of dealing. After the fourth betting interval, the hole cards are revealed. During the first betting interval, the first bettor, or player with the best poker combination, must place a minimum bet. In later betting intervals, the first player may check.
In addition to a standard poker game, there are countless variations of the game. Three-card Monte, stud, and straight games were invented during the American Civil War. Around the same time, the wild card was invented. Other variations of the game included community card poker and split-pot games. In many countries, the popularity of poker is largely attributed to the military. The game of Poker is played in several variations with varying rules.
