Poker is one of the world’s most popular card games. The game originated in the sixteenth century and has since spawned a multitude of different variations worldwide. It is also a popular spectator sport, thanks to the invention of hole-card cameras and broadcasts of major tournaments. Poker’s rich mosaic of strategies and psychological nuances offers a wealth of metaphors for creative writing, particularly in the realm of conflict and suspense.

When playing Poker, players place a forced bet at the beginning of each round called an “ante” or a “blind bet.” Then, they are dealt cards. If a player doesn’t like their hand, they can choose to “fold” and forfeit the pot of money placed in the betting phase of the game. The players who remain in the hand then reveal their cards and the player with the best 5-card hand wins the pot of money.

Aside from these initial forced bets, a player can only put chips into the pot voluntarily when they believe that the bet has a positive expected value or want to attempt to bluff other players for various strategic reasons. Players can also call a bet, raise it or “drop” (end the hand). Eventually, all players must reveal their hands in a showdown and the player with the strongest hand collects the pot of money. This process can repeat for many rounds, until the players are out of cards and/or money. At that point, the winner is declared and the next game begins.