Poker is a card game in which players make bets into a pot (the sum of the bets by all active players) before the cards are revealed. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot. There are many variants of the game, but all have the same basic rules.
In most games, a player must place an initial bet – called a ‘blind’ or ‘ante’ – to get dealt cards. Then each player can either call (match or raise) the bet of the player before them, or fold. Unless they have a superior hand, a player cannot win more than the amount they staked. This is because the winning hand must beat a lower-ranked one for them to be paid.
After the first betting phase, an additional card is dealt face up to each player – this is called the flop. There is another round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. Once this phase is over, the fifth and final card is dealt face up – the river. The player with the best 5 card poker hand wins the pot.
As a narrative game, poker provides a lot of opportunity for plot conflict and character development. The game also has strong metaphorical potential. The act of bluffing can be likened to deceiving others and can be used as a means to explore themes such as trust, betrayal and duality. These are all powerful themes for a story to be built around.