Poker History
There are many different beliefs as to the exact origin of the game poker. It appears to have
taken elements from a variety of earlier games, from many countries around the world.
One of the many debated birthplaces of poker is thought to be Persia. In the 17th century a
card game called ‘as nas’ was being played. This required a special deck of 25 cards with 5
suits, and was played by four people.
Also debated is the fact that poker has close ties with the 18th century French game ‘poque’.
The French who settled in New Orleans around this time played poque, which was a card game involving
betting and bluffing. This was stated to be the first use of a deck of cards consisting of spades,
hearts, clubs and diamonds.
In 1829 one of the first documented references to poker was made by an English actor Joseph Cromwell.
In his diary he wrote of a card game being played on the Mississippi riverboats. Where players received
five cards and made bets, with the highest combination of cards winning all bets.
Jonathan H. Green made written reference to the game of poker in1834. In the book he wrote
called An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling, he mentions rules to what he called
“the cheating game”. Green is credited with first calling this “cheating game” poker.
The game he described was played with 20 cards, using only the aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens.
Two to four people could play, and each was dealt five cards, the best hand dealt won. By the time
Green wrote about it, poker had become the number one card game on the Mississippi riverboats.
Poker ultimately spread further across America by wagon and train. Variations to the game such as
stud and draw poker became popular, with the last major European influence on the game being the
introduction of the joker as a wild card around 1875.
Poker has evolved through the years, from the Wild West period of being played in saloons across America,
to the present day casinos around the world. Today poker is carefully regulated by gambling laws, and is
played more than any other card game in the world. It has grown into a sporting event, with tournaments
all around the world.
In 1970 a new poker tournament began, known as the World Series of Poker (WSOP). The first WSOP was
promoted by Las Vegas casino owner and poker player Benny Binion, and took place at Binion’s Horseshoe
casino. The game was Texas Hold’em, which had become the dominant game, and the winner was declared
poker world champion. The first tournament attracted a grand total of seven players, while today the
WSOP is a series of nationwide poker tournaments attracting more and more players each year. With prize
money running into millions of dollars.
Pokers popularity has never been as widespread as it is today. The wealth of poker information
available online, and relative ease of logging on and playing with other poker players around the world,
has brought the poker craze to a new level.