There are many variations of poker. For instance, if the players in the game have less than five cards, they can play Three-Card Monte or Spit-in-the-Ocean. Each variety will be explained further in this chapter. For larger groups, two separate games can be organized. For players who have less than ten cards, the game can be divided into two separate games. All variations of the game are described later in this article.

When a player has a five-card hand that is stronger than all the other players, they win the round. The remaining players in the hand share the pot. After a few rounds, however, all players will run out of money. Eventually, one player will win the entire pot. If this occurs, the game is over. Those who win the round will collect the money they have invested as a buy-in. In this way, poker players may win as much as $100,000.

Poker has a long history. In 1829, Joseph Cowell reported playing a game in which four players each possessed five cards. The game was popularized in the United States in 1837. In that year, it was introduced to a 52-card deck. Shortly after, it spread widely. Today, millions of people play poker online and offline. Poker has been around for centuries and will likely continue to be popular for many years to come.