The Official Poker Rules are a compilation of rules used by cardrooms to ensure that players play the game correctly. The book was created by Robert Ciaffone, a long-time authority on cardroom rules. Ciaffone compiled the book, selecting and organizing the rules for the book, and made improvements to the wording and organization. Previously, Ciaffone acted as a rules consultant and drafter for several cardrooms and wrote the official rulebook of the Poker Players Association, which was founded in 1984 and is now defunct.

The rules of the game are often controversial, but in the Netherlands, a renowned professional poker player named Marcel Luske wrote them. The rules are freely available and can prevent disputes in poker tournaments. They are also widely adopted by poker enthusiasts and cardrooms across the world. For example, when playing in a charity poker tournament, players are required to follow the rules of the organization. Some tournaments are organized to provide prizes, while others are designed to reward the players who have made the most money.

The game has ancient roots and can be traced to the 10th century Chinese emperor. It is also said to be a descendant of the Persian card game As Nas, which dates back to the 16th century. In Europe, poker was first introduced in France in 1871. Queen Victoria was intrigued by the game and demanded rules of the game. In the United Kingdom, it was not until World War I that the game of poker gained acceptance and spread across the continent.