In Poker, the players place chips into the pot before the cards are dealt to them. These “blinds” are usually in the form of small and large chips and rotate from player to player each round of betting. The players have the option of raising or folding, depending on the value of their hand. A call means that a player is willing to match a raise, a check indicates that he does not intend to raise, and a raise means that a person wishes to increase their bet on the table.

While poker has many names, it is most likely descended from Frenchpoque and Germanpochen, though the exact origin of the game is not known. The game closely resembles a Persian card game, known as nas. As such, it may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors. However, today, poker is regarded as having Renaissance roots, sharing its name with the French games primero and brelan. While these are different games, brag is clearly derived from brelan, incorporating the element of bluffing.

The game of poker is played with chips. A white chip is the lowest-valued chip in poker and should be used when there are seven or more players. Red chips are worth five whites, and blue chips are worth ten, twenty, or thirty. Each player purchases chips, which are equal to the total contribution of the players before him. A player who buys in is said to be an active player. This is the most common way to start a poker game.