The History Of Caribbean Stud Poker
Caribbean Stud Poker is a variant of poker, a card game with a
long and mysterious history. The word 'poker' has a tangled
history all of its own; it comes from the French word 'poque',
which itself is a variant on the German word 'pochen', which
simply means "to knock".
Nobody really knows how or where poker began; some say that its
origins lie in a 16th century Persian card game, whilst others
believe that it originated in Europe at the turn of the 19th
century. One thing we can be sure of is that poker was brought
to North America by French explorers, and that it was originally
played in Louisiana. Many accounts name New Orleans of 1830 as
the place and time where modern-day poker was first played.
After being initially established, the game quickly spread from
Louisiana and soon became a favorite in the West.
While we don't know who specifically invented Caribbean Stud
Poker, the tropical version of the game, we do know that it
originated on the island of Aruba. This popular tourist
destination is just off the coast of Venezuela, and boasts a
population of only 100,000. Caribbean Stud Poker is based on the
rules of five-card stud poker, with the major difference being
that players bet against the house, rather than other players.
Caribbean Stud Poker was initially played in the Holiday Inn
Hotel & Casino in 1988, where the turquoise ocean and beaches of
white sand provided a fitting motive for its exotic name. Now
known as the Excelsior Casino, this location is still widely
popular with tourists and forms the basis of a thriving
community. It has recently been the focus of attention once
more, with the World Poker Tour being held there in September
2005. In the late 1980s, Caribbean Stud Poker spread throughout
the islands of the Caribbean, and it was also offered in casinos
on cruise ships in the area. Over the next few years it received
an ever-growing reputation until, inevitably, it arrived in Las
Vegas in 1992.
The gambling gurus in Nevada realized that the game wasn't quite
rewarding enough to the player, so they added a progressive
jackpot as a sweetener. Their plan worked, and the popularity of
the game skyrocketed throughout North America and Europe.
Nowadays, it's hard to find a casino in the world that doesn't
offer Caribbean Stud Poker, and with the arrival of Internet
gambling, everybody has a chance to play.