The History and Origin of Poker

While the exact origin of Poker is difficult to know for sure, many historians and researchers have gathered that poker has been played in varying forms for over 1,000 years.  All games that historically represent poker share the common principles of “bluffing” (convincing other players your hand will beat theirs in order to win the hand) and a ranking system of either cards or dominos, what we now know as the full house, flush, straight flush, etc.

Some of the games that poker is believed to have come from are Domino Cards, a Chinese game played by an emperor and his wife in 995 A.D, the French game of “Poque”, the German game of “Pochen” and the Spanish game of “Primero”.
The French brought their national game of Poque to North America when they came from Canada.  It made its way to America when a group of French-Canadian citizens settled in New Orleans, which at point in time was regarded as the Gambling Capital of America.  It was so popular that it spread all over the nation shortly thereafter.  By 1875, when the Joker “Wild” card was introduced to the game, the European influence over poker was gone.

Since poker came to the United States, it has not looked back.  For the last two centuries Americans have been playing the game, developing many variations and sub-variations over time.  Five Card Draw came from Civil War times, and both armies frequently played the game.  In additional to this form, poker is often played in Seven Card Stud.  This version of the game took over the popularity of Five Card Draw during World War II, and aided the starting casinos.  Until the currently most popular version, Texas Hold ‘Em came about in the 1970’s, this was the most popular form of the game. 

Texas Hold ‘Em started in the World Series of Poker, and is now the most widely played form of the game. The World Series of Poker is a televised event on ESPN, which requires a $10,000 buy in, and is no limit.  Other variations of the game include Manilla, Draw, Stud, Omaha, and Razz poker. 

The good news is, you no longer have to visit a casino to play poker.  You can now visit online casinos, and play various poker games for real cash, as you would in a traditional casino environment.  Online casinos are not legal in every state, though, so you will want to do a little research before beginning to place your bets.

No matter the origin of poker, America has taken the game and turned it into a profitable activity, played for fun by many, and professionally by several others.  If you do not like one variation of poker, you should be able to find one you do!