The History of Poker
Poker has been around for hundreds of years, and in many cases the culture of the societies in which it was a part of were greatly influenced. Follow us on our journey that retraces the steps of poker's origins in the East to its spread over the European continent and across the seas to the American river boats and into our homes through television and the internet...
Ancient Poker History
The history of poker is quite different from the game we play today. The origins of poker is often a matter of debate, because it has evolved over more then ten centuries from various games, all of which involved the principle of ranked cards and bluffing to deceive opponents.
A game similar to poker is believed to be invented by the Chinese. In 969 A.D. the Emperor Mu-tsung played 'domino cards' with his wife on New Year's Eve. Later in the 12th and 13th centuries, evidence shows Egyptians used playing cards. During the 16th century Persians were using 'Ganjifa', also known as Treasure Cards, for a variety of betting games. Ganjifa deck had 96 very ornate cards made up of thin slices of ivory.
Poker Arrives in America
Persians also played the game of 'As Nas' using 25 cards, betting rounds, and hand rankings. These characteristics of the Persian game of Nas resemble the game of poker that we now know. Most likely poker arrived in the United States because Persian sailors taught the game of Nas to settlers in New Orleans and French colonists imported the national card game of France poque when French-Canadian settlers founded New Orleans. Joseph Crowell reported that the game of poker was being played in New Orleans in 1829, at this time the game consisted of 4 players and 20 cards, whereas the players took turns betting on who had the most valuable hand.
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Sit and Go Domination
Jonathan Green wrote An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling in 1843 and described how Mississippi riverboats, which were famous for gambling, spread the game up the river into the heart of the country where the gold rush then brought the game to the West, where poker was played in nearly every saloon. Green took it upon himself to formally name the game and describe its rules in his book which officially gave birth to Poker.
How Poker was Named
The name of poker may have come from several sources, as it most closely relates to the Irish Poca-pronounced Pokah- or the French game poque-a German derived word from the German game Pochen meaning 'to brag as a bluff'. However, the game itself is believed to share its origins with the Renaissance Period game of Primero and the French game of Brelan. The 16th century Spanish Primero involved three cards being dealt to each player. Bluffing, betting large amounts of money, with weak cards, was an important part of the game. Primero which began in 1526 is referred to as 'poker's mother' because its the first documented game resembling modern day poker. Brelan was the origin of the English game of Brag-a game in which bluffing was a strong part of the game. Most likely, all these games had a significant impact into the development of the game of poker.
Modern Deck of Poker Cards
To make room for more players, the deck was expanded to 52 cards and the concept of the flush was introduced. With the additional cards, other poker game variations were created, including draw poker, 5 card stud poker, and the concept of the straight-5 cards in sequence. These game variations were made during the Civil War, and later additional American concepts like the use of wild cards were introduced to poker around 1875, the games of lowball and hi/low split poker around 1900 and community card games around 1925. The game spread around the world-especially throughout Asia-because of the United States military.
Poker's Effect on Modern Culture
The impact of poker has become and integral part of American and English culture. Many phrases with roots in poker slang are used everyday outside the world of poker, such as having an ace in the hole or having an ace up your sleeve. Other terms like poker face, wild card, bad beat, suck out, call your bluff, beats me, high roller, pass the buck, up the ante, when the chips are down, on the river, all in, blue chip, cash in, nice hand, muck it, and drawing dead are also widely used.
The Rise and Fall of the Different Poker Games
Three poker games took turns dominating the course of poker history. First, 5 Card Draw came from nowhere during the American Civil War to the most widely played game for nearly 100 years. 7 Card Stud became the main focus shortly before World War II and lasted in popularity for about 40 years. It was aided by the rise of the Las Vegas casino industry in the desert of Nevada. Texas Hold’em, known as the Cadillac of Poker emerged in the 1970's when it was the main game in deciding the World Series of Poker champion. Today, Texas Hold’em is by far the most frequently played and significantly more popular then any other card game in the world. Other variations such as Omaha, Omaha hi/low, Stud, Stud hi/low, Draw Poker, Lowball, and Razz are also popular.
Poker Tournament Popularity Brings Poker to the Masses
Poker tournaments have publicized the game of poker and brought it to mainstream America. This explosion of poker began in 1970 with the birth of Binion's World Series of Poker. Famous players like Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, and Doyle Brunson won the World Series of Poker in its early days. Doyle Brunson also produced one of the first poker strategy books, Poker Super System, known throughout the poker world as the Bible of Poker. Shortly thereafter, Mike Caro introduced The Book of Tells and then later famous poker author/player David Sklansky published The Theory of Poker which focused on understanding the mathematical principles needed for winning.
Technology Influences Poker
After the turn of the century, poker found a whole new level of popularity where it can be seen on television everyday and can be found in most casinos around the country. This explosion occurred because of the rising popularity of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera, which records the hole cards of players to be later viewed on television. ESPN and other cable stations televised the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour to incredible number of viewers, which translated to the exposure of poker's top players becoming celebrities.
As viewers learned how to play online, they then began appearing in card rooms in record numbers. Poker rooms appeared in casinos that did not have them yet, and ones that did expanded to allow for the influx of these new players. Many people wanted a chance to play with the pros and began buying-in to large poker tournaments shattering attendance records year after year. A part of poker tournament's popularity is often attributed to when an average person Chris Moneymaker, an accountant from New York City, won his World Series of Poker entry through an online satellite at Pokerstars for $36 and went on to win the Main Event. In 2004, Greg Raymer, did the same thing after winning an online satellite for $160.
