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Basically, it's Poker

In contrast, Poker is mostly a man's game, and represents a peer group.

Women can do and play it, too, but women who aspire to be the equals, and companions of men and to be treated 'just like a man.'

There is no fixed number of players, and only some of the cards are dealt out - people can enter or leave the game at any time, and it is much more fluid in this respect than Bridge.

It represents a group of strangers trying out one another's reaction patterns and is often so used. Nonverbal communication is watched for, but if it is involuntary and therefore honest, it works to a player's disadvantage; it is advisable to cultivate a 'poker face.'

Any cooperation between players is one of the worst possible sins, and it is always strictly competitive without the socially expected teamwork of Bridge.

Although sequences rank high, and particularly 'royal flushes' - a complete family - three and four or even two of a kind rank high, too.

The family is valued (sequences, since they include the family structure of KQJ, usually represent the family in cards), but peer groups are almost as highly valued.

Ace are interesting in Poker Deuces often are used as wild cards and other common ones are 'one-eyed jacks.' Many American card games rank the jack rather high; there are many games with jack in the title and none with king in most American game collections.

This indicates the high valuing of the young, unattached male in our society. The one-eyed jacks (spade aggression and hearts-love) are, as we have seen. Our old friend the Western mythic hero.

Ranking deuces high in this way probably indicates a certain self-identification with a low, disregarded status, ranked high for this one special game.

The Poker player is not quite as secure in his self-esteem as the Bridge player - he is less satisfied. Jokers are also sometimes used in Poker, always ranking as wild cards.

These wild cards are more adaptable than ordinary cards, since they can be used to replace any card of the deck at will.

A game that uses wild cards usually values a certain flexibility, a willingness to accept a variety of roles according to circumstances, in contrast to Bridge. A Poker player seems to have more imagination, more room for fantasy than the Bridge player; he is also probably less realistic.

The suits are not ranked in Poker; it is more democratic than Bridge, and has more regard for personal characteristics and less for social status.

This is probably partly because in the rather fluid society of the Poker game, where strangers are readily accepted, it is impossible to assess social class other than by personal characteristics.