Poker is a card game played between two or more players. Each player is dealt a set of cards, and the aim is to make the best 5-card hand. Bets are made in rounds, and the winner of each round takes the pot. There are several variants of the game, but in most the number of cards is fixed. Players may choose to discard and draw replacement cards, but this is not usual in professional games.
The earliest contemporary references to the game are found in J. Hildreth’s Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky Mountains (1836), and in the published reminiscences of Jonathan Green and Joe Cowell (thirty years passed amongst the players in England and America, 1844). The popularity of the game is often attributed to General Schenck, the American ambassador to Great Britain, who was persuaded by his friends to teach it as part of a weekend retreat at the Somerset country home of Lady W. The rules were subsequently written down and printed in booklet form for his pupils.
While bluffing is a common strategy, it must be carefully applied as it can easily backfire. Tight play, only playing strong hands and raising aggressively when the opportunity arises, reduces the chances of losing money on speculative hands. Professional poker players are adept at extracting signal from noise across many channels and integrating that information both to exploit opponents and to protect themselves from risk. It’s also their livelihood, and a perpetual pressure to make money can lead them to impulsive decisions, gambling or otherwise.