Poker is a card game with many variants, but all involve betting and aiming to make the best five-card hand. A player wins the pot, which is all the money bet so far, when they have a winning hand. This can include a flush or straight. Players may also bluff during the game, which can affect the outcome of the hand. Other factors that affect the outcome of the game are betting patterns and pot odds.
The earliest documented references to poker date from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Its evolution was distinct from the general development of card games and gambling in that there is no evidence for a connection to earlier vying games.
A key part of the poker experience is learning to read your opponent and understand his or her intentions. This is achieved by assessing an opponent’s range of possible hands and estimating the odds that they will beat yours. It is this separation between the known and the unknown, the controllable and the uncontrollable, that separates a professional player from their amateur counterparts. These meta-skills exist in three dimensions: Opportunities, Strategy, and Execution. By mastering these dimensions, a poker player can become world-class at the game.