» History of Poker

Poker’s origins are unclear. Different theories arise about its beginnings. The most widely known theory is that the game was invented by the Chinese from dominoes at about 900 A.D.

There are some who believe that the game of poker came from a Persian game “as nas”. With its roots traced as early as the 17th century, as nas is a five-player game that uses a 25-card, five-suit deck.

Others claim though that the French game poque is the predecessor of poker. First played during the 15th century, poque consists of the standard deck that is being used in poker with four suits and thirteen cards per suit. Also, this game consists of betting and bluffing to win the pot.

Meanwhile, some people trace poker’s origins to the German game pochspiel or the Indian game ganjifa. But no matter where it came from, the American origins of poker are easy to trace.

In 1834, Jonathan H. Green wrote about a Mississippi riverboat game that he called as the “cheating game”. He then decided to call it poker when he found out that the game has no previous record. This version of poker was played with 20 cards of all aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens. The game is played by a maximum of four people who are dealt five cards each.

As soon as Green’s word came out, the game was picked up in Ohio and New Orleans through steamboat rides. It then reached the American West through wagons and trains. Town saloons across the country had a poker table with draw and stud poker becoming the most popular game back then.

To sustain its popularity, the state of Nevada banned any form of poker. However, the California Attorney General declared that it is a skill game and should be excluded from antigambling laws. Stud poker was declared illegal though for it was a game of chance.

From that moment on, poker became widely known in the United States. Nowadays, it is now a global game with poker enthusiasts coming from different parts of the globe.