Why Poker Is So Popular
Poker became the national card game of the United States because it so well suits the American temperament. It is a game for the individual. In it, the player is on his own, the master of his own fate.
There are other reasons why Poker is such a timeless favorite. It fits any situation, whether it is a serious game among expert players or a hilarious game for the entertainment of family and friends who just want to have a good time. Almost any number of persons can play in the same game. Poker is an easy game to learn, and once learned is never forgotten. And the cost of the equipment is Inconsiderable; there is no more economical form of recreation than card-playing.
Another good thing about Poker, is the many variations that have been grafted onto the original game. Variety is the spice of life. The use of wild cards and tricky rules increases a player’s chance of holding a good hand, and everyone likes to hold good cards.
Now days you will find refined ladies (whose grandmothers would have shuddered at the very thought of that rough, horrible game) playing Poker, enjoying it, and learning to their pleasure that they don’t have to gamble to have a good time.
A real game of skill, despite myths to the contrary, never requires a gambling element; and though many people are surprised to learn it, poker is a game of skill second to none.
Public opinion polls have shown in recent years that Poker, despite the almost universal popularity it already enjoyed, has been growing in favor more rapidly than any other game. More persons are playing Poker, and are playing it more often, than ever before.
Every American should understand Poker. Nearly every American does understand Poker, or wants to. And it is part of the charm of Poker that it is so easy to understand.
While poker is played in innumerable forms, it is really necessary to understand only two basic things:
1. The values of the Poker hands.
2. The principles of betting in Poker.
A player who understands these can play without difficulty in any type of Poker game.
In Poker, everyone plays for himself. In fact, partnerships of any sort are strictly forbidden by the laws, and the object of each player is to win the pot. The pot is the accumulation of all bets made by all players in any one deal. Every chip a player puts in the pot means he bets so much that he has, or will have, the best Poker hand around the table. After the betting is over, the hands are shown (called the showdown) and the best Poker hand wins the pot.