Poker
'poʊkər
Definitions
2 meaningsA card game in which players bet on the value of the hands they are dealt.
'poʊkər
A card game.
She enjoys playing poker with her family on the weekends.
💡 Simply: Poker is like a game where you try to get the best hand of cards and trick other players into thinking you have a better hand than you do. It’s all about strategy and a little bit of luck. Imagine you're playing with your friends, and you have a really good hand, you could bluff and bet all your toys to make your friends believe that you have a great hand. Your friend, seeing your bluff, might fold.
👶 For kids: A game where you try to have the best cards and bet to win!
More Examples
He won a significant amount of money at the poker tournament.
How It's Used
"He's a professional poker player."
"We had a poker night with friends last weekend."
To play the card game poker.
'poʊkər
To play poker
They often poker every Friday night.
💡 Simply: To play poker with others.
👶 For kids: To play the card game poker with friends
More Examples
Do you know how to poker?
How It's Used
"We're going to poker this evening"
Idioms & expressions
poker face
An expressionless face, especially one that conceals one's real feelings.
"She maintained a poker face throughout the negotiations."
poker night
An evening dedicated to playing the card game poker.
"They have a regular poker night every month with friends."
The origin is uncertain, but it likely derives from a 19th-century gambling game. Some theories suggest it comes from the German word 'pochen' (to bluff) or French 'poque'.
The game 'poker' as we know it emerged in the early 19th century in America, likely as a derivative of older card games. Early usage often involved betting with various forms of currency.
Memory tip
Think of the game itself, with its bets, bluffs, and the winning hand.
Word Origin
"Potentially related to 'pochen' (German for 'to bluff') or 'poque' (French, a similar gambling game)."