What is "poker"

Poachard \Poach"ard\ (p[=o]ch"[~e]rd), n. [From Poach to stab.] [Written also pocard, pochard.] (Zo["o]l.)

1. A common European duck ( Aythya ferina); -- called also goldhead, poker, and fresh-water widgeon, or red-headed widgeon.

2. The American redhead, which is closely allied to the European poachard.

   Red-crested poachard (Zo["o]l.), an Old World duck ( Branta rufina).

   Scaup poachard, the scaup duck.

   Tufted poachard, a scaup duck ( Aythya cristata, or Fuligula cristata), native of Europe and Asia.

"the iron bar with which men stir the fire" [Johnson], 1530s, agent noun from poke (v.).

card game, 1834, American English, of unknown origin, perhaps from the first element of German Pochspiel, name of a card game similar to poker, from pochen "to brag as a bluff," literally "to knock, rap" (see poke (v.)). A popular alternative theory traces the word to French poque, also said to have been a card game resembling poker. "[B]ut without documentation these explanations are mere speculation" [Barnhart]. The earlier version of the game in English was called brag. Slang poker face (n.) "deadpan" is from 1874.\n\nA good player is cautious or bold by turns, according to his estimate of the capacities of his adversaries, and to the impression he wants to make on them. 7. It follows that the possession of a good poker face is an advantage. No one who has any pretensions to good play will betray the value of his hand by gesture, change of countenance, or any other symptom. ["Cavendish," "Round Games at Cards," dated 1875]\n

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\nTo any one not very well up in these games, some parts of the book are at first sight rather puzzling. "It follows," we read in one passage, "that the possession of a good poker face" (the italics are the author's) "is an advantage." If this had been said by a Liverpool rough of his wife, the meaning would have been clear to every one. Cavendish, however, does not seem to be writing especially for Lancashire.

[review of above, "Saturday Review," Dec. 26, 1874]

Etymology 1 n. 1 A metal rod, generally of wrought iron, for adjusting the burning logs or coals in a fire; a firestick. (from earlier 16th c.) 2 One who pokes. 3 A kind of duck, the pochard. Etymology 2

n. 1 Any of various card games in which, following each of one or more rounds of dealing or revealing the cards, the players in sequence make tactical bets or drop out, the bets forming a pool to be taken either by the sole remaining player or, after all rounds and bets have been completed, by those remaining players who hold a superior hand according to a standard ranking of hand values for the game. (from earlier 19th c.) 2 (context poker English) All the four cards of the same rank. Etymology 3

n. (context US colloquial English) Any imagined frightful object, especially one supposed to haunt the darkness; a bugbear.

1. n. fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle; used to stir a fire [syn: stove poker, fire hook, salamander]

2. any of various card games in which players bet that they hold the highest-ranking hand [syn: poker game]

Poker is a family of card games.

Poker may also refer to:

• "Poker" (Malcolm in the Middle), an episode of the TV series Malcolm in the Middle
• "Poker" (song), a song by Electric Light Orchestra
• Fireplace poker or fireplace iron, a metal instrument for tending to a fire
• A 4-goal performance by a player in Association Football

Poker is a family of gambling card games. All poker variants involve betting as an intrinsic part of play, and determine the winner of each hand according to the combinations of players' cards, at least some of which remain hidden until the end of the hand. Poker games vary in the number of cards dealt, the number of shared or "community" cards, the number of cards that remain hidden, and the betting procedures.

In most modern poker games, the first round of betting begins with one or more of the players making some form of a forced bet (the blind and/or ante). In standard poker, each player bets according to the rank he believes his hand is worth as compared to the other players. The action then proceeds clockwise as each player in turn must either match, or "call", the maximum previous bet or fold, losing the amount bet so far and all further interest in the hand. A player who matches a bet may also "raise", or increase the bet. The betting round ends when all players have either matched the last bet or folded. If all but one player folds on any round, the remaining player collects the pot without being required to reveal their hand. If more than one player remains in contention after the final betting round, the hands are revealed, and the player with the winning hand takes the pot.

With the exception of initial forced bets, money is only placed into the pot voluntarily by a player who either believes the bet has positive expected value or who is trying to bluff other players for various strategic reasons. Thus, while the outcome of any particular hand significantly involves chance, the long-run expectations of the players are determined by their actions chosen on the basis of probability, psychology, and game theory.

Poker has gained in popularity since the beginning of the twentieth century and has gone from being primarily a recreational activity confined to small groups of enthusiasts to a widely popular activity, both for participants and spectators, including online, with many professional players and multimillion-dollar tournament prizes.