Poker is a game of skill and strategy, though it also depends a great deal on luck. There are hundreds of different variants, and the game is played in a variety of environments.
Poker has been popular for decades, and it’s still widely enjoyed by many people. The following four types of players are the most common:
Tourist
Amateur
Money hugger
Pro
Tournament
In a poker tournament, players compete in multiple rounds of games until one team wins. Each round begins with a minimum number of competitors and is followed by fewer until there’s just one competitor left.
The winner of the tournament is the person with the best overall hand. In some forms of poker, a player may be eliminated from the tournament before the end of each round by a “dropout”.
A card or series of cards that devalues a player’s hand. For example, if a player holds two pair of 6’s and the board is ace-ace-7-4, then his pair of sixes has been “counterfeited.”
An ante
A small bet that everyone has to contribute before a hand starts. An ante is similar to a blind, but antes give the pot a value right off the bat.
Each betting interval (or round) involves a set amount of bets and raises. The first player to bet in the interval is called a “caller.” A player who calls exactly meets the previous bet is a “raiser,” and a player who raises more than the last bet is a “checker.”
Players’ hands develop in various ways between rounds, often by re-doing the original deal or by replacing some of the initial cards. When the round ends, the bets are gathered into a “pot.” The pot is won either by having the highest-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls.