Poker is a popular card game that can be associated with anyone from high-rolling casino bosses, to bored middle-aged housewives, to party-seeking college buddies. There are many kinds of poker, but the most enduring variants require as much skill and strategy as they do luck. Anyone can play poker, but not everyone can truly master it. This is what keeps people playing, and this is what makes the game continue to grow and expand. Some scholars attribute Poker’s origins to the Sung Dynasty of 10th century China, or to a Persian game called "As Nas" which dates back to the 16th century. But a game called “poque”, which was played in 17th century France, seems to bear the most marked resemblance to modern poker. Poque was brought to New Orleans by French immigrants and was popular in the 1820's as a recreational gambling activity. It was played with a 20-card deck, and four players betting on whose hand was the most valuable. The game has since evolved into poker, boasting of countless variants and complementary styles of play, the most popular variant being Texas Hold 'Em. Poker's popularity spiked in the late 1990's and early 2000's thanks to many factors, but mostly due to the increased television coverage of tournaments like the World Series of Poker, as well as the rise of online poker. The broadcasting of poker games, which allows the audience to see the cards of every player, has offered spectators a deeper insight into both the game in general and the thought processes of their favorite poker stars. Online poker, on the other hand, has allowed players to connect with others from anywhere in the world, and online anonymity has encouraged confidence in new players to try mastering the game. Many of today’s professional poker players have had their start in online poker. Although there may be thousands of poker variants, house rules notwithstanding, all poker games involve betting on the hand (which usually consists of 5 cards) with the most value. Games that are centered on betting on the best hand are called “vying” or “showdown” games, and poker is arguably the most popular game of this sort. Modern poker is played with a standard 52-card deck (sometimes with the inclusion of jokers or wild cards); and combinations and hand rankings are consistent—save for minor discrepancies—in all of poker. Before finding out the different variants of poker, it’s best to start with a basic knowledge of poker hand rankings. Royal Flush: The highest possible hand consists of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten, all of the same suit. The odds of getting a royal flush are so slim (approximately 649,739:1) that some online casinos offer players an instant bonus simply for getting one. Straight Flush: A straight flush is similar to a royal flush, except it may contain any 5 cards that are in numerical sequence that are also of the same suit. If more than one player has a Straight Flush, the hand with the highest ranked card wins. Four of a Kind: A four of a kind contains four cards of the same rank plus an extra card. Full House: A full house, or sometimes known as “full boat”, consists of a three of a kind (three cards of the same rank) plus one pair (two of the same rank) form a full house. If more than one player has a Full House, the hand with the highest three-of-a-kind wins. Flush: A flush is a hand with all five cards of the same suit. If more than one player has a Flush, the hand with the highest-ranked card wins. If more than one player has the same highest-ranked card, the cards are compared in descending order to determine the winner. Straight: A straight consists of five cards in numerical sequence. If more than one player has a straight Flush, the hand with the highest ranked card wins. An Ace can be used as the highest card, in Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, or as the lowest card in five, four, three, two, Ace. The Ace is the only card with this capability. Three-of-a-kind: A three-of-a-kind contains three cards of the same rank. If more than one player has a three-of-a-kind, the hand with the highest ranked three-of-a-kind wins. Two-pair: A two-pair consists of two pairs and an extra fifth card. If more than one player has a two-pair, the hand with the highest pair wins. If more than one player has the same highest pair, the hand with the highest second pair wins, followed by the highest fifth card. One pair: Hands with one pair contain only two cards of the same rank, plus three unmatched cards. If more than one player has the same highest pair, the unmatched cards are compared in descending order to determine the winner. High card: A hand containing none of the combinations listed above ranks as a high card hand. If more than one player has the same high card, the cards are compared in descending order to determine the winner. Hands are ranked from Ace down through two. These days, poker is as much enjoyed in living rooms or casinos on Friday nights as it is being played in tournaments by some of the most intelligent professionals from around the world. It is currently being lobbied as a Mind Sport, which would place it (and rightfully so) amongst the ranks of games like chess, backgammon, and bridge. Although many places around the world have given rise to their own home-grown variants of the game, tournament play is usually focused on the 5 variants (the “big five”, so to speak) which are included in the popular acronym H.O.R.S.E.: meaning Hold ‘Em, Omaha (Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, or simply Omaha/8), Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Eight or Better. The overwhelming majority of poker games available in online poker sites fall under the H.O.R.S.E. category. Poker variants differ mainly in how cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, and whether the high or low hands have the most value. Poker variants come in four main families, which differ mostly regarding how cards are dealt, and how hands may be formed: Straight, Stud, Draw, and Community. Straight poker is the oldest family of poker variants. In straight poker, complete hands are dealt to all players in a single round, with an infinite number of bets, raises, and re-raises allowed. Games from this family don’t involve much strategy (if any) and aren’t seen in tournaments. Stud poker is the next oldest family of poker variants. In stud poker, cards are dealt in a pre-arranged combination of face-down and face-up rounds (also called “streets”), with betting taking place between each of these rounds. Stud poker involves players making the best hands or best combinations of hands out of a certain number of cards. Seven-card stud is the most popular poker variant that is part of this family, where players make the best 5-card hand from the 7 cards dealt to them. In draw poker, players are dealt complete hands, face-down. After betting, players attempt to improve their hands by discarding unwanted cards and drawing new ones. Community poker, also called flop poker, involves cards that are dealt face-up that act as “community cards”. Incomplete hands are dealt to each player face-down, and the community cards are used by all players to complete their hands with the highest combination possible. Texas Hold ‘Em and Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better is a prime example of community poker.