History of Poker

The game of poker has been around for quite some time. But with that being said, there is a lot of debate around when the game actually got its start. The good thing is that over the year’s poker has developed into one of the most popular games in the world. If it were not for the early days of poker the players of today would not be having all this fun, and winning money on a regular basis.

The majority of people feel that the game of poker comes from the French word poque.  Additionally, it is thought that this form came from the German word pochen, which means to knock. Although there is no way of saying for sure where the game of poker originated, it is very similar to a Persian game known as as nas.  There is a very good chance that Persian sailors taught this game to French settlers who settled in New Orleans. It is quite possible that this game is what shaped poker in the early years. And then over time as nas and other similar games were formed into the poker that is played in today’s day and age.

It is thought that the first game of poker was played in 1829 in the city of New Orleans. Joseph Crowell, an English actor, stated that the game was played with only 20 cards and that the four players involved simply bet on the hand that was the most valuable. A book published in 1843 talked about the way that poker spread throughout the country thanks to the Mississippi Riverboats that were so popular during that time. Then during the Gold Rush poker began to spread to the western half of the United States, and from there the game took off for good.

Soon after the Gold Rush poker players began to use a standard 52 card deck, and many new aspects were introduced to the game.  By the time of the American Civil War poker players added parts of the game such as the straight, as well as variations such as Draw poker and Stud poker.

In 1970 poker tournaments started up in the United States. It was during this year that the first World Series of Poker event took place. Since then tournaments have become increasingly popular year after year. This has culminated as of late with poker tournaments being television on national networks, and some of the best players in the game becoming famous nationwide.

Along with the growing popularity of the game itself, the language used has also shaped both American and European culture.

All in all, the game of poker is rich in history.  Although poker has changed over the past couple hundred years, there are still many aspects that are shared with the way that the game was originally played. It is safe to say that poker is here to stay, and that it will always be a game that is developing and offering new aspects to players.