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Gossip Guide · Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject: Poker History

Poker History

The exact origin of the game of poker is often debated and the differences of opinion are widely varied. Furthermore there seems to be no direct predecessor to the game. It seems to be more likely that the game of poker was created from several different games.

One of the earliest known references to the game of poker was made in 1834 by a Mr. Jonathan H Green. Mr. Green wrote about the rules to a game referred to as the cheating game, which at the time was being played on Mississippi riverboats. Having no previous knowledge of this particular game Green discovered that it was not cited in the current America Hoyle so he decided to call the game poker.

The game he chose to call poker was played with just twenty cards and used only the face cards and tens. Two to four players could participate in the game and each were dealt five cards during game play. The game quickly become the most popular cheating game on the gaming boats surpassing three-card-monte. Most gamblers considered the game of poker to be more legitimate and thus they continued to return to the boats to play.

The source of the word poker is equally debated. If one refers to the dictionary they would discover that it was derived from an 18th century game in France called “poque.” However if one looks further they will also find references to a German game called “pochspiel.” In this German game a distinct element of bluffing exist, where players would indicate if they wanted to open or pass by knocking on the table.

Other scholars provide another explanation for the word poker. They state that it possibly came from the slang word “poke” which was used to refer to pickpockets or cheats. Others think that it came from “hocus pocus” a term which was popularized by magicians.

The game has came a long way since its inception and along the way cards were added to the game. From the early version of the game, which used just 20 cards it evolved to include 32 cards, and today the deck contains 52 cards.

The game has been perfected over time through many underground games to the play in modern day casinos all over the world. At one time a poker table could be found in every saloon from east to west.

The modern game of poker is regulated by gambling laws and yesterdays saloons have given way to casinos. It remains one of the more popular games and world wide is played by more card players than any other card game. It has even grown into a major sporting event if you will, with tournaments airing on popular television stations.

The world poker tour gathers the very best poker players in one sitting to play for huge amounts of money. Attracting players from all over the world is easy to do when millions of dollars is at stake.

It's certain that the game of poker will likely be around for a long time to come and may even continue to evolve. As long as there are riches to be had their will always be players eager to take a shot at winning it all.