Poker History

Poker has become one of the most popular card games in the world. Pros of the industry are admired and looked up to by fans of the game, and prominent events can be watched on various TV networks. However, poker was not always viewed in such a favorable way. A mere 200 years ago gambling was taboo because the games were known for hosting pro cheaters. In the Wild West, some professionals were even lynched for their association to gambling back in the 1830s! You used to have to leave your house to get your poker hands in! It’s clear that to become the way it is today, poker has to have had a very colorful history!

Quite a lot of debate has occurred over the origins of poker. Many researchers think it stemmed from Nas, a Persian game from 500 years ago that included betting, hand rankings, and different suits. Also from the 1500’s was a game called Primero, however, and it is known as “poker’s mother” due to the betting and bluffing nature of the game. France’s Poque and Germany’s Pochen both originated from Primero, which is actually a Spanish game.

Modern day poker came about in the late 1700's in Louisiana, and it gained popularity in the West as it traveled along the Mississippi. The game experienced a spike in popularity as professionals worked to teach as many people as possible how to play. These professionals were looked down upon by the public, however, as con men that did not benefit society in any way. Like I stated earlier, frequenting these games was a terrible idea in a few Western towns. Known gamblers were kicked out of town, tarred and feathered, and even lynched.

Poker’s next big boom would happen in California in gambling houses. From here the game became very popular, and soon it was being played from coast to coast. In the Wild West during this time, cards were dealt in nearly every saloon.

Variations of 5 Card Draw were dealt when the game was first developed, and it stayed the poker of choice up until the 2nd World War. Then, for the next 40 years, people played mostly 7 Card Stud. In the 1970’s, Texas Hold’em was played in the World Series of Poker. Early WSOP winners included Doyle Brunson and Bobby Baldwin, and Texas Hold’em rose in popularity, becoming known as the “Cadillac of Poker”. This shows that poker isn't the same as Internet Slots, there is some skill involved. That decade also saw the first serious poker strategy written in the form of books. WSOP champion Doyle Brunson wrote Super System, and David Sklansky wrote Theory of Poker.

Online poker showed up in 1998 with Planet Poker, followed by ParadisePoker.com in 1999. Two of the biggest rooms today, PokerStars and Party Poker, came online in 2001. Two years later would see Party Poker spend millions on advertising, but it was the “Moneymaker effect” that really caused poker to soar in popularity. An amateur player named Chris Moneymaker won a WSOP Main Event seat in a low buy-in satellite on PokerStars, and he went on to win the event for $2.5 million. There was a massive online poker boom as a result, and online poker rooms started making serious profits. 2003 saw 839 people enter the WSOP Main Event. 2004’s Main Event numbers increased by over 1,700 people! The present day Main Event usually sees between 6,000 and 7,000 people.

It’s safe to say that poker has come a long way since its early days in Louisiana. Players are now traveling to Europe, Asia, and Australia for large and prestigious poker events. Inexperienced players will discover that online games are a cheap way to develop a winning game. Just by learning some poker bonus clearing methods, you can start making hundreds extra per week. If you’re looking to get into poker games on the Internet, be sure to check out a Full Tilt Poker download. Whether you want to play cash games or tournaments, you’re certain to find what you need at Full Tilt. Good luck at the tables!