Poker: Get a Glimpse Into Its Past!
The word poker seems to come from the French voice poker, which comes from the German word pochen, which means to knock. However, the origins of poker game is not that clear. Some say that it is very similar to a Persian game called Nas, which could have been adopted by French settlers in New Orleans, where they were many Persian sailors. Others say that it resembles the games Primero or Brelan, very popular in the Renaissance. Others see the origins of poker in an English game called Bragg. In conclusion, it seems Poker descends from all these games and was influenced by all of them.
There is evidence that poker was played in 1829 in New Orleans, with 4 players and a deck of 20 cards. Players had to bet on which played had the most valuable hand. It seems the game spread all over the country thanks to Mississippi riverboats, where gambling was a usual pastime. This way poker arrived to the West and it became very popular among pioneers during the gold rush. After this expansion, the game changed a bit. The deck had 52 cards and the flush was added. Later on, during the Civil War, there were more additions, like stud poker, draw poker or straight. In 1875, the wild card was introduced, and in 1900 so were the split-pot poker and lowball. In 1925, there appeared community card games.
Tournaments as we know them nowadays became very popular in casinos after the WSOP opened in 1970. During that period, there were released the first books on poker strategy and tactics.
In the past years, the popularity of poker has grown amazingly, partly thanks to the online casino and online poker room phenomenon. Poker tournaments are often aired on television in prime time and professional players have become real stars. The most prestigious poker event of all is the World Series of Poker.
