A Brief History of Poker
It is hard to say when poker began exactly, as there are many conflicting reports of its origins. There have been gambling games throughout history that poker seems to have evolved from (especially given the principles of the game.)
One of the earliest possible ancestors of poker is believed to be a Chinese game called Domino Cards, known to be played around 969 A.D. The Emperor Mutsung was reported to have played this game with his wife on New Year’s Eve. Also, in the 12th and 13th centuries, Egyptians definitely used some form of playing cards.
Another possible ancestor is Pochspiel. A German game that dates back to the 15th century, Pochspiel uses the techniques of betting, hand ranking, and bluffing in gameplay. Sound familiar?
The Persian game of As Nas is another possible origin, though details of the game are hard to come by prior to 1890. The French game of Poque is said to be another possible ancestor, as the game was played in the area where poker originated.
As for the actual origin of poker as we know it today, it has been reported that the game was first played in and around New Orleans, Louisiana as far back as 1829, using a deck of twenty cards. In this game, four players would place bets on each other’s 5-card hands to see which one was the most valuable.
It is said that the game spread from New Orleans to the rest of the country via the Mississippi riverboats, where gambling was a standard pastime onboard. As it made its way up the Mississippi River and into the West during the gold rush, it expanded to the standard English deck of 52 cards, and quickly became an indelible part of frontier mythology, making a name for many noted legends, such as Wild Bill Hickok (who was actually shot and killed while playing poker. In fact, the hand he held at the time – a two-pair of Aces and Eights in the black suits, has become known as “the dead man’s hand”)
During the American Civil War, new variations of the game were introduced, such as draw poker, stud poker, and the straight. Later American developments would introduce the wild card, the lowball, split-pot poker, and community card poker. The game began to spread to other countries (such as Asia), likely introduced by soldiers in the United States military. The European influence of poker was said to have ended with the introduction of the Joker card in 1875 (which most professional venues do not use.)
Despite its uncertain origins, we are certain that poker - in its more “modern” version - has been extremely popular for nearly two centuries now, with no sign of losing popularity anytime soon.
