Poker is a card game of chance and skill, involving betting and bluffing. It is played between two or more players and the winner is the player with the highest hand according to the rules of the game being played. The game is very popular and has become an integral part of many card games.
In most games, each player must first ante something (amount varies by game but typically starts with a nickel). After that cards are dealt and a round of betting begins, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. At the end of the betting period, if more than one player remains active in the hand they reveal their cards and evaluate their hands according to the rules of the particular game being played.
The standard 52-card pack is used and some variant games allow jokers or specify other cards as wild (eg deuces or one-eyed jacks). A poker hand consists of five cards and the highest is the winning hand.
The most interesting thing about poker is the people playing it, their reactions to the cards and the by-play between them. Describing a series of card draws, bets, checks and reveals will often feel lame or gimmicky. Instead focus on the tension between characters, how each one flinches or smiles at the cards and who raises their stakes or folds. This will add a level of depth to your story that a series of cards alone just won’t provide.
