poker
n. uncountablen. a popular card game where players bet money on who has the best hand. You win by having the strongest cards or by tricking others into thinking you do.
n. a family of card games in which players wager on the strength of their hand, with the winner determined by specific card combinations or by the folding of all other participants.
We play poker every Friday night for small stakes.
He maintained a calm expression during the poker game so no one could guess he was bluffing.
Professional poker requires not only a deep understanding of mathematical probability but also the psychological discipline to manage risk and read the subtle physical cues of opponents.
From poke + -er.
American English, perhaps from first element of German Pochspiel, from German pochen, perhaps from French poque. First appeared in the 19th century.
Compare Danish pokker (“the deuce, devil”), and English puck.
Usually uncountable when referring to the game itself; countable when referring to the metal tool used to stir a fire.