Poker is a card game played by two or more players. Each player has chips (representing money) and is dealt two cards, plus there are five community cards on the table. The goal is to make the best five card hand using your own two cards and the five community cards. If you bet and the other players all fold, then you win the pot (all of the chips that have been raised so far) without showing your cards.
There is a lot of uncertainty in Poker – you don’t know what the other players have, how they will bet or play their cards. To make good decisions under uncertainty, whether in poker or any other field, you need to estimate the probabilities of different scenarios.
The earliest forms of poker were played with a single deck of cards. During the American Civil War, poker developed further, with the use of a full 52-card English deck and new rules like lowball, draw and stud. These new developments helped the game spread to many other countries around the world.
A great way to increase your understanding of Poker is by reading books and articles about it. There are lots of useful resources available on the internet, including online blogs and forums, as well as books written by experts in the subject matter. If you’re looking for an inspiring read, try a book by David Sklansky. He has written a number of popular poker-related books, including The Mathematics of Poker and The Mathematics of Bluffing.