The Legendary History of Poker History

The Legendary History of Poker

May 2, 2007  /  admin  /   0

As with any card game, the history of poker is shrouded in the mists of both time and human imagination. It would be impossible to dictate precisely where the very earliest seeds of the game we know today originated, but scholars believe that the game originated not from one place only, but rather a variety of cultures that had games similar in nature. This seems most likely because it tends to be the way that most phenomenon of a global nature emerge, through cross-pollination of people from various cultures.

For the very earliest seeds of poker we go back to both Asia and the Middle East. In China, around 960 AD, an emperor by the name of Mu-tsung is recorded as playing what were called domino cards each New Year’s Eve. In Persia, during the 1500’s a game called As Nas was played that involved 5 different suits and 25 unique cards. These origins are, of course, heavily debated, but by the 1600’s, games were being played in Germany, Spain and France that resemble our modern poker. Among the Spanish, their game Primero had the element of bluffing as a primary component of play and this carried over to the German variant of the game, called Pochen, a word loosely meaning “to bluff”. In Ireland, a game called Poca which was an Irish word for pocket.

All of these origins are certainly plausible as the mysterious possible elements that were combined to brew up poker, but there is very strong evidence that suggests the French held a strong hand in this game’s creation. Poque, a French game, is very similar to our modern game and it was brought to the shores of North America during the settlement of what is now Canada. The game then traveled south as French settlers spread down to found New Orleans in the US state of Louisiana. Here the game found a ready assortment of gamblers already sick of the then popular Three Card Monte which was typically rigged.

With the Mississippi River as its conduit, poker rose up through the early United States and spread like wildfire all throughout the country. By the era of the Wild West, poker tables were found in every tavern, bar and saloon across America and the game had taken on an incredible level of importance. Even during the Civil War, both Union and Confederate troops were reported to play the game to pass the time between battles. In 1875, the Joker became the wild card the game is said to have taken on a distinctly American flavor, shedding its European trappings.

From 1875 until around the time of World War II, 5 Card Draw ruled the proverbial roost. Next came 7 Card Stud that helped make Las Vegas, Nevada one of the most popular gambling destinations in the world. Finally, in the 1970’s the World Series of Poker brought us what is today one of the most popular forms of poker on the face of the planet: the almighty Texas Hold’em.

In the 1990’s the world wide web rose to prominence and along with it came online poker. As one of the most popular online past times, it appears poker made the switch to digital quite smoothly. It’s now a huge industry with professional players and that’s proof poker has not only a fascinating history, but an incredibly bright future, too.