Poker is a family of card games in which players wager real money on the outcome of individual hands. It is played with a standard pack of 52 cards, although some variants use multiple packs or add wild cards (often called jokers) to increase the number of possible combinations. The game originated in culturally French territory and is believed to have evolved from the earlier game of poque, which was popular in saloons that served French-speaking sailors on Mississippi steamers.

Each player gets two hole cards, which only they can see, and five community cards are then dealt face-up on the board. The object of the game is to make the best five-card poker hand using a combination of these hole and community cards. Each player must bet a minimum of $1, and raise no more than three times during each round of betting.

A good poker strategy includes knowing when to bet, when to bluff, and when to fold. It also involves reading your opponent and learning his tendencies. A strong poker strategy allows a player to improve his winning percentage over time.

While this office’s standard recordkeeping forms are not required for poker, the poker chapter of the administrative rules and records manual contains some forms that can be used to keep track of the game, including the Poker Tournament Record, Ideal Cash Bank Master Record, and Reconciliation of Ideal Cash Banks. In addition, some general forms that can be found in the General Forms section may be useful for conducting poker.