A Peek at the Game called Poker
The world of card games is a diverse collection of virtually innumerable games of wit and luck each with its own unique set of rules and dynamics, a world dominated by the card game called "poker".
In this article we enter the world of poker: its history, game play, variations and the principles and strategies that makes poker the "king of all card games".
Poker, unlike any other card game, is not entirely a game of chance. It is a psychological game of cards with a unique combination of strategy, luck and, above all, guts. A poker player cannot win a game by sheer luck. A good set of cards is not always a guarantee of winning a poker game if one falls into his opponent's demises, or should we say "bluffs".
This is the reason why aspiring professional poker players do not only master the game's rules but also strives to hone their skill in bluffing, that is, making their opponent believe the way they want them to.
By practicing proper card handling, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact, a player sends stealth messages to the opposing poker players causing them to change the way they manage their poker cards or even to fold depending on how they interpret these messages.
The origin of poker can be traced to the Persian game of as nas, and may have been picked up from the Persian seafarers by early French settlers of New Orleans and was later named "poque" after its French form.
However, others believe that the term may have also descended from the German pochen whose meaning is 'to knock'. Yet another lineage of this game can be traced back to the Renaissance period with the game of primero and the French's brelan. Brag (earlier bragg) of the English clearly originated from brelan which is very similar to the modern poker game and uses a strategy called bluffing.
More than likely it is possible that the modern form of poker has its roots from the all of these earlier games.
Although poker follows a certain pattern or game play, there exist several variations of the game. Among these variations, three of them are most popular and commonly played throughout the world, namely, draw poker, stud poker and community card poker.
In Draw poker, each player initially receives five cards (five-card draw) or even more cards, depending on what was agreed. All cards are hidden which players can then replace a certain number of times.
This is different from Stud poker where players receive one card at a time. Some of these cards are revealed to other players at the table. A major difference between stud and 'draw' poker is that players are not allowed to discard or replace any cards.
Another variation, which is Community card poker is played by combining initially dealt cards for each players with sets of "community cards" which are revealed to everyone and shared by all poker players. The goal is to make best possible combinations of the five cards poker hand using the community cards and their individual cards. Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hold'em are popular variations of this poker game type.
Poker has indeed captivated the world with its peculiar and exciting form of card play. Today, millions of poker professionals and enthusiasts alike flood casinos for a poker deal and even on the comfort of their own homes to play poker with friends and families. Pots are at stake and game is on. Ready for a game?
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