Poker is a card game played by two or more players. Each hand involves a mix of chance and strategy. At the end of a hand, all bets are gathered into a central pot. The best hand wins the pot. There are two ways to bet in poker: voluntarily or forcedly.

The forced bets are bets that must be placed before a hand is drawn. Typically, a player must have two or more cards to qualify. In some situations, the minimum hand is a pair of jacks. In these cases, the player making the first bet must have a pair of jacks or better.

In casual play, the right to deal the hand is rotated among players. The dealer button, or buck, is the symbol of the nominal dealer. The dealer deals the cards clockwise around the table. The dealer button is a white plastic disk that indicates the nominal dealer. The dealer will then mark the betting order.

The game of poker has seedy origins. It is thought to have originated in Persia, but the earliest European version was a 17th century French game known as poque. Poque evolved alongside other games, including German pochen and Spanish primero. It reached the New World via French settlers.