Where does Poker come from?
Poker is a popular game with its origins still not very clear. Some say that the name “poker” is derived from “poque,” a French word and this is further evolved from “pochen” a German word (means “to knock”). There are historians who are uncertain that the origins of poker are similar to the games bearing alike names.
“As nas”, a Persian game is bears similarity to poker and it is likely that it may have been taught by the Persian settlers to the French settlers in New Orleans. Another connection of poker is established with a popular game in the Renaissance called “primero”. The English game “brag” had incorporated bluffing. According to Joseph Corwell, an English actor the game was played in the city of New Orleans in the year 1829. At the time there were 20 cards in the deck. Spreading of the game to entire US thereafter is attributed to the Mississippi riverboats. These riverboats frequently travelled up and down the Mississippi and during these river boat trips gambling was popular.
American history has poker as a noticeable part with most of the poker jargon coming from standard American English. Some of the popular expressions that signify this are:
- Bluff
- Had an ace up your sleeve
- Wildcard used to describe an unpredictable factor
- Beats me
- ace in the hole
- blue chip and many more
The occurring as it developed:
- A 52-card English deck was incorporated in the game after poker spread.
- Then the game “Flush” was introduced.
- It was during the civil war that draw poker, the straight and stud poker were all introduced to the game.
- In America, 1875 wild card was developed.
- 1900: Split-pot poker and lowball were introduced.
Poker was spread to many countries, including Asian countries by the U.S. military.
- The beginning of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, 1970 helped in popularising tournaments. Poker tournaments and tables have been popular in America ever since.
- Then strategy books developed in seventies. The first two strategy books were “The Book of Tells” by Mike Caro and “Super System” by Doyle Brunson.
- In 1970 Holdem took control although it was never as popular as card draw or seven
Recently poker has gained immense popularity with online poker getting introduced. There are many poker sites which have a lot to offer and special attractions for new players. Players from all over the world play poker online – some for fun and others as serious players. There are many tournaments also available all the time.
Planet Poker, the first online poker room, 1998
Paradise Poker, 1999 followed and soon enough became the leader in online poker.
Dutch Boyd, a renowned poker player launched Poker Spot in 2000 the first online poker room to offer tours. However it was soon gone because of financial problems and other associated concerns. Due to the innovation in payment processing, developing e-cash payments is like PayPal, Neteller this mistake was not repeated.
