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The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the
game likely descended from the French poque, which descended from the German
pochen ('to knock'), but it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie
with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the Persian game of as
nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian
sailors. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game
of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly
descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in
other games by that time). It is quite possible that all of these earlier games
influenced the development of poker as it exists now.
English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in
1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player's hand was
the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and
Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of
the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on
which gambling was a common pastime.
Harry Truman's poker chipsSoon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck
was used, and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many
additions were made, including draw poker, stud poker (the five-card variant),
and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card
(around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card
poker games (around 1925). Spread of the game to other countries, particularly
in Asia, is often attributed to the U.S. military.
The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and
English culture. Such phrases as ace in the hole, beats me, blue chip, call the
bluff, cash in, pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips
are down, wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation even by those
unaware of their origins at the poker table.
Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series
of Poker began in 1970. It was also during that decade that the first serious
strategy books appeared, notably The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (ISBN
1880685000), Super System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 0931444014), and The Book of
Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0897461002).
Poker’s popularity has experienced an unprecedented spike in recent years,
largely due to the introduction of online poker and the invention of the
hole-card camera which finally turned the game into a spectator sport. Viewers
can now follow the action and drama of the game, and broadcasts of poker
tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour have
brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors.
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Poker History
