Jul 01 2008
Poker Goes Way Back
Poker has been played for centuries. It is claimed to be the oldest game that has lasted through the ages. It has evolved and will remain for centuries more.
Poker has three origins that each have a claim. The sources most historians allege were the basis of modern day poker are the Persian game of as nas, German pochspiel, and French poque. Poker’s name derives from the French word poque which means to bluff.
The origins of the game have been debated for three centuries. Even though it has been traced back to the 1700’s, no one will ever know exactly the truth. However, there is no doubt that poker is one of the most fun and exciting games around.
The Revolutionary War was when the first real documentation of poker was found. The soldiers would play a three card version of stud. The five-card version was developed during the Civil War as a nice distraction from the fighting.
Five-card poker began as a game for four people who were dealt the entire amount of a 20-card deck. This version eliminated the lower cards of a normal 52-card deck. The object of this game was to bet on who would have the best hand.
Once the game incorporated all of the cards in a 52-card deck, popularity grew for the game, which had become more complex. With the lower cards included the possibilities became larger. This popularity brought the game to the forefront rather than just something to pass the time.
Poker got its start in New Orleans during the early 1800’s, it is also believed. Through riverboats then the game expanded up the Mississippi river. This is where riverboat casinos on the Mississippi got their start too.
In this theory of the evolution of American poker, it is believed that the settlers and gold rush miners brought poker to the west coast. Saloons and casinos were built throughout the west, which offered various versions of poker and its derivatives. This helped establish poker’s popularity in America.
In modern days, seven-card stud was claimed to be a Texan game. This version has become exponentially popular in Las Vegas. This popularity carried the seven-card game called Texas Hold’em into the mainstream.
Still played today in many casinos and online, the many different versions developed through the years. The three card version is the only type that did not make it through evolution. It is lost in the past now.
Of the many things that have tested the tribulations of time, poker is the most exciting. Due to its durability and addictiveness, poker has lasted thus far. While some things remain a fad that has faded, poker will last as it is for another couple of centuries.