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Poker is perhaps the most popular card game in the whole world today. Some play it in the casino; others prefer playing it online while others love staging poker games at their homes. Poker indeed has become the central reason why enthusiasts would group together one Saturday night, deem it as Boys’ Night and play poker until the wee hours of morning. Without a doubt, poker reigns supreme on these kinds of night!

The Poker Party:

First off, when you are planning to stage a poker game in your home, you have to have a decent poker set. A deck of cards and some quality poker chips should set you off nicely. A decent deck of cards mean that you have to possess those that still have a nice, new feel to them like the plastic-coated ones and not those which are already frayed on the sides from constant usage. Try to steer clear from using potato chips and peanuts as chips too! Although using them might be more casual and fun, it is preferable that you have quality poker chips that distinguish your poker game from the usual run-in-the-mill types. I recommend that you purchase 13.5g poker chips. Although a bit heavier than the rest, these poker chips are durable and strong and can cope with constant handling. They also have a nice “casino-chip-like� thud to them when slashed together in the pot. Your guests would surely be impressed by your exciting chips! A nice poker table is also fun to have. Poker tables, especially those felt-lined ones add a certain casino-like and add to the excitement of any poker game at home.

When organizing a poker game, you should also consider the food you will be serving your guests. You can opt to serve dinner but remember to serve it well before the game. This way, your guests can enjoy the meal and the game one at a time. It is usually best if you prepare finger foods during the game than those that require forks and knives to eat. As much as possible, try to serve food that is less greasy and can be picked up by one hand only instead of two. This way, your guests can eat even when they’re playing and eating will definitely not delay the game. This eliminates the need of the players to set down their cards first when they eat, too and less grease on their hands mean less grease on your cards, right? Try to vary the food as much as possible.

For the beverages, it is always preferable to serve beer, right? But make sure that you have a decent selection of non alcoholic drinks as well. Some players prefer to remain sober when playing poker to eliminate chances of losing. Too much drinking can also delay the game since this usually leads to a considerable time in the bathroom. But then whether we admit it or not, playing poker is infinitely more fun when alcoholic beverages are around, so don’t be afraid to stack up on those, especially if you are among close friends you know very well.

Planning is the key to a good poker game at home. You really have to plan well ahead of time to make sure that your game will go off without a hitch.

Beverages: you should make sure you have a good selection of non alcoholic drinks as well as plenty of beer for your game. Drinking too much can also make your game less enjoyable for you and the other players, no one like to have to constantly be waiting for someone who is going to the bathroom all the time or getting up to grab another cold beer.

Another disadvantage to drinking too much is that your judgment becomes impaired and to win at poker you need to have your head focused. Poker is just as much about reading your players and noticing the smallest change in a person’s attitude during the game and if you drink too much you may start to miss things.

Game Related Items: A poker table is not needed to play poker and other then making you feel like you are in a poker tournament in a casino or give you a breakdown of what goes where, it does not really serve a needed function at a poker game. So if you do not have one and can not afford it do not let that stop you from throwing a game.

When it comes to the cards you play with most players just prefer a standard plastic coated playing card to anything else, and I recommend having more then 1 deck just in case a card gets bend, torn or someone gets food or grease on them.

If you are going to be playing with the same players all the time you may want to chip in together and purchase a nice set of chips, the professional weight clay chips. They are not needed for the game but I just prefer the way they feel in my hand when I am playing.

Players: If you are starting up a new game I recommend picking people who are all close t the same level of skills, no one wants to be the fish every week, and it is also so fun when one of your friends wins every week, unless it is you.

If you follow the advice in this article you will not only find you will start playing better but you and your friends will have a better time playing poker.

Poker has reached its zenith as the most popular card game of all times and is believed to be around since the 1500’s. It has its origins from ancient Persia, was then called “as nas� and was thought to be brought by Persian sailors to America via New Orleans to the French Settlers in 1803. Highly-esteemed forms of literature like Jonathan H. Green’s “An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling� in 1843 and Joe Cowell’s “Thirty Years Passed Among the Players in England and America� in 1844 shows that poker has been around for ages.

When United States dispatched the American Expeditionary force to Great Britain during World War I, poker instantaneously gained popularity among the British and was even hailed as United States’ National Card Game during those times. Indeed, poker grew to so much status that casinos offering it now abound the whole world and a tournament dedicated entirely to the game called the World Series of Poker is now shown in ESPN. Poker’s fame did not stop there, however. Nowadays, with the advent of the internet, various online poker websites can be found in the web.

The Evolution of Poker:

Poker has gone through a series of evolution since its creation. From the simple “as-nas� of the Persians wherein a special 25-card deck with 5 suits are used, it now has evolved to include the full 52 cards with 4 suits of an English deck. It is played by two or more players and each would place a bet that his hand is better than those of his opponents. The other players can either fold and drop out of the game or can equal or raise the bet depending on their hands. Betting and bluffing was added into the game during the 1700’s. The cards are manipulated to form certain combinations like the straight flush or the royal flush, the four of a kind, the full house, the flush, the straight, the three of a kind, two pairs and one pair to win the game. The winner of the game is the one who holds the best hand or the last to fold from the game. The winner also gets the pot or the combination of all the bets given during the game.

Poker has also developed into several variations, some of which are the draw poker, stud poker and the community poker such as the Texas Hold’Em.

Why is Poker So Popular?

Poker is a skill-based game which requires intense focus on your hand, an impressive ability to bluff and a skillful reading of the opponents. Concentration and focusing on your cards require that you have enough knowledge on the workings of poker. This condition develops a man’s ability to think and be on guard at all times. The ability to bluff requires that a man should develop the strength of becoming impassive and manipulative in a positive way. Becoming a skillful reader of your opponents require you to be a good judge of character and have the ability to comprehend the nuances of the other players. All of these abilities even when applied outside the game make a man appreciate his environment more and make him matured in dealing with challenges more. This is perhaps the reason why poker has become so popular. But then, who can forget the pot? The pot is another reason why poker has indeed risen to become the most-loved card game of all time.