During the Wild West period, Poker was the rage. Legendary gunfighters like Wild Bill Hickok and Doc Holliday were known for their propensity for the game. It was also during this time that researchers discovered an eighteenth century French game called poque.

The first hand is dealt one card at a time to each player, face down. Each player has the opportunity to shuffle or discard his or her cards. The dealer is given the last chance to do so.

The game is played with a deck of 52 cards. Aside from the standard deck, players can use wild cards to assemble the best possible hand.

There are hundreds of variations of the game. These vary in how cards are dealt, how many cards are dealt, and how players may play. The rules of each variation vary, but all are similar in the following ways:

The “wow” factor comes from the bluffing that occurs. A player can bet that he has the best hand, bluff the other players into betting on him, or bluff the other way around. A player may also win the pot by making a bet that no other player calls.

The kitty is a special fund that is divvied up among all the players who are still in the game. This fund is used to pay for new decks of cards.

The hole-card camera has revolutionized the game. The showdown is the most important part of the poker game.