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The History of Poker


PokerPoker has come along way from it’s shady origins some ten centuries ago to undoubtedly the world’s most popular casino game.

Although its earliest roots are still a topic for debate, it’s thought that modern day poker is actually the result of a mixture of different games, played in multiple countries but all involving the basic principals of card ranks and “bluffing” to beat your opponent.

Despite the fact that cards, as we currently know them, were not introducted to the world until the 13th century there is a commonly-held belief that the Chinese Emperor Mu-tsung enjoyed playing regular games of “Domino cards” with his wife.

Egyptians took these kind of games a step further in the 13th and 14th century by introducing a standardised pack of cards (slightly different to the design that the Egyptians had used) containing 52 cards each divided into four suits consisting of 13 ranks in each. It was this pack which was first introduced to the important trading port of Venice in 1360 and from there Europe experienced an explosion in various different card games.

The most influential of these was arguably the Spanish game of Primero, which has often been referred to as “Poker’s Mother.” Dating back to 1526, Primero involved each player being dealt three cards and then being encoraged to wager how strong they believed their initial hand was. It was around this time that “bluffing” was first discovered, and this skill was carried into the French game of “Poque” and the German game of “Pochen” which were played throughout the 17th and 18th century.

Poque is believed to have reached America at the beginning of the 18th century when a number of French emigrants arrived in Canada, bringing their national game with them. From there, a group of French-Canadian settlers founded New Orleans and the game spread up the Mississipi where it was embraced whole-heartedly by the locals.

The game was mainly played on river boats where gambling had become a huge pastime as travellers crawled slowly up and down the river. It was only played using Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks and Tens but soon became a hugely popular alternative to the long standing game of Three-Card Monte as it was seen to be more legitimate. That wasn’t the initial opinion of Mr Jonathan H Green though, who made one of the earliest written references to poker in 1834. His book, “An exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling”, referred to the latest craze as “The Cheating Game” - a name which he soon revised to “Poker”, when it wasn’t mentioned in The American Hoyle of that year.

Poker soon grew throughout the country and particularly flourished during Poker grew in the Wild West.Wild West Poker Saloon’s up and down the country could be counted upon to have a Poker table and the game spread from coast to coast. Stud, a cowboy version of the game, was born around Illinois and Indiana and soon Jackpots were introduced forcing any player wanting to open to have at least a pair of Jacks in his hand (an idea designed to drive away loose players who were willing to bet on anything). The 1875 edition of Hoyles Notes also mentions that the Wild Card (Joker) was made official at this time too, along with the introduction of the flush and the straight.

The arrival of the 20th century brought with it the concept known as “community card poker” enabling players to use their own private hand with a set of cards dealt face-up in the middle of the table. Two popular versions of community card poker soon sprang up: Omaha and Texas Hold ‘Em, the latter reaching unrivalled popularity in 1970 when it featured as the title game in the inaugral World Series of Poker in Vegas.

Over the next few years the WSOP grew rapidly both in terms of players and those who came to watch and the introduction of card hold cameras in the 1990’s suddenly allowed even those who couldn’t make to Vegas to keep up to date with events. For the first time, a world wide audience could see the cards a particular player had. They could get caught up in the drama of a hand and they could appreciate the skill of those playing. Viewing figures went through the roof, larger tournaments started to attract huge sponsorship deals and prize money increased. Those players that won the big bucks, suddenly became celebrities - something that had previously been unheard of poker circles.

moneymaker.jpgWhen Chris Moneymaker, a previous unknown in the game, won the World Series of Poker in 2003 having earned his place in the tournament through a satellite game costing just $39, it suddenly seemed that anybody could make a success of the game.

Today, poker has never been bigger. It fills prime-time TV slots and was awarded the top online game in both 2005 and 2006. People of all ages and skill levels are brought to the table proving the maxim that it “only takes a minute to learn but a lifetime to master” and the ease of joining an online poker room means anyone can start learning.