The History of poker
The origin of the game that we today call Poker is uncertain and
debated. Most researchers agree that the name Poker is derived
from the French word poque, which in turn originates from the
German word pochen - to knock. It is however unsure whether
Poker is actually related to the card games where players must
knock the table to mark certain situations. Poker bears a keener
resemblance to an old Persian game called As Nas. Some
researchers therefore suggest that As Nas was taught to French
immigrants in New Orleans by Persian seafarers, and later
developed into Poker in America. Poker also resembles a
Renaissance game called Primero and a French game known as
Brelan. In England, Brelan eventually developed into a game
named Brag or Bragg, a card game where the possibility of
bluffing is an important part of the game, just as in Poker.
One of the earlier mentions of Poker is from 1829, when an
English actor named Joseph Crowell encountered a type of card
game in New Orleans where a deck of 20 cards were used by four
players. The players made bets and tried to guess which player
had the best hand. In 1843, Jonathan H. Green published a book
named "An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling" where
he described how this game spread from New Orleans via the
riverboats on Mississippi. Playing games was a very popular
pastime on the Mississippi riverboats. As the game spread, the
rules were changed and a full deck containing 52 cards began to
be used. One of the major rule changes was the introduction of
the so called flush.
A lot of the more modern poker versions were invented during the
American Civil War, including Draw Poker and five card Stud
Poker. The straight was also introduced during this era. Around
1875 the use of wild cards was added. Lowball developed around
the same time, and the split-pot poker was invented around the
turn of the century. The first poker games involving community
cards arose around 1925. Some researches claim the U.S. military
are responsible for spreading the game to Asia during wars,
where it is today very popular and a natural part of the
traditional Asian games.
Poker is a noticeable part of the American history and the poker
jargon has even made it into standard American English. Most of
us use poker jargon in our every day language even if we never
have played a single game of poker in our entire life. Have you
ever called someone's bluff? Had an ace up your sleeve?
Described an unknown or unpredictable factor as a "wildcard"?
Beats me, ace in the hole, blue chip, cash in, stack up, pass
the buck, high roller, poker face and when the chips are down,
are other examples of poker expressions that have made it into
normal language.
During the 1970's, the first World Series of Poker were played
which popularised Poker tournaments at the American casinos.
This is also the time when the first serious Poker books were
published. Three of the most famous ones are "The Theory of
Poker" written by David Sklansky, "The Book of Tells" by Mike
Caro and "Super System" by Doyle Brunson.
Today, poker is played all over the world. Poker has grown
increasingly popular during the latest decade, chiefly due to
the invention of online poker and the hole-card camera that made
the Poker tournaments much more interesting to watch for
non-players. Poker is today considered a spectator sport and
several TV-shows are devoted to the game. The World Series of
Poker and the World Poker Tour are two major Poker tournaments
that are broadcasted via cable and satellite.