POKER
What does "POKER" mean?
A card game of betting and bluffing; also a metal rod for stirring a fire.
Meanings
- A card game in which players bet on the value of their hands, often bluffing about their strength. He won the whole pot at poker with a pair of twos and a steady stare.
- A stiff metal rod used to stir or adjust burning coals or wood in a fire. She prodded the logs with an iron poker until they blazed.
- A person or thing that pokes. The toddler was a relentless poker of buttons. informal
Did you know?
- The everyday phrase 'poker face' comes straight from the card table: a blank expression that gives away nothing about the cards you're holding.
Word origin
The fire-tool sense is from 'poke' (Middle English 'poken', to prod) plus '-er'. The card-game sense is of uncertain origin, possibly from the French 'poque' or German 'Pochspiel', a bluffing game.
Remember it
POKER = one who POKEs (the fire) + the card game where you poke at others' nerves with a bluff.
A little poem
The same word stirs the fire and holds the hand-
one rakes the coals, one hides how cold they stand.
couplet
Wordplay
- Why is a fireplace tool good at cards? It always keeps a poker face.
What it teaches
Whether you stir coals or call a bluff, the trick is the same: stay cool while you turn up the heat.
Quick facts
What does POKER mean?
A card game of betting and bluffing; also a metal rod for stirring a fire.
Is POKER a valid word?
Yes — POKER is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is POKER?
POKER has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does POKER come from?
The fire-tool sense is from 'poke' (Middle English 'poken', to prod) plus '-er'. The card-game sense is of uncertain origin, possibly from the French 'poque' or German 'Pochspiel', a bluffing game.
What can POKER teach us?
Whether you stir coals or call a bluff, the trick is the same: stay cool while you turn up the heat.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.