Holt Allen and Sharb play poker. (Starship Antyllus)
Poker is a Earth card game of chance and skill where players bet on the value of their cards relative to what they believe other players possessed. The winner is the person who held the highest ranked combination of cards or the last player left if all others have forfeited the round by folding.
There are several variations of the game. Five-card stud and five-card draw were particularly popular in social play aboard the USS Enterprise-D. The Texas hold 'em variant was played for latinum by Pergium miners in the Timor sector. (Star Trek: The Next Generation "The Measure Of A Man" et. al; USS Baldwin: "Reaction to Action, Part 1")
USS Baldwin captain Patrick Ingrum started a social poker night with his crew in 2377, with Texas hold 'em as Patrick's game of choice. (USS Baldwin: "Reaction to Action, Part 1") USS Ottawa captain Jenna Carson also played hold 'em on occasion, particularly with her friends and shipmates Sonya Fiehrer and Susan Cassoday. (USS Baldwin: "Like the Rain") Patrick also hosted a poker game at his home on Aloran IV in 2379 when he was interrupted by a call from New Cardiff governor Jacob Whitburn requesting assistance. When Patrick noted that they were "playing for fun, not latinum," the governor quipped "I take it you’re behind in chips." (USS Baldwin: "Bein' Green")
After the Iconian invasion began in 2410, the crew of the USS Bajor held a poker night aboard ship while traveling to the Calbriden system to join up with Commodore Tom Paris. Captain Kanril Eleya won one hand by bluffing Bynam Ehrob and Reshek Gaarra into folding, despite Ehrob having a better hand. (Bait and Switch: "All In")
In 2411, Reshek Taryn remarked that she cleaned Rachel Connor out every time they played poker because "she can't lie convincingly to save her life". (Bait and Switch: "Brother on Brother, Daughter on Mother")
Notes[]
- Texas Hold 'em was selected as the card game of choice in USS Baldwin over the draw and stud variants seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation because of the increased exposure of Hold 'em poker, and because it is common in casinos and tournament play.
External links[]
- Poker article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Poker article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
- Poker article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.