Poker History

Poker History and its origins seem lost in the mysteries of time and the confuse the issue there doesn't seem to be an early ancestor of the game to draw a date from. The conclusion to this can only be that Poker is a very old game indeed.

Some argue that very early versions of the game can be dated back to 969AD when the Chinese emperor Mu-tsung is said to have played 'domino cards' with his wife.

Others argue that the Poker as we know it today is more likely to have derived from a French game, 'Poque', played during the late 1400s, which involved betting and bluffing - similar to Poker. J H Green who referred to the "cheating game" in 1834 being played on the Mississippi riverboats of the time. Poker seemed to be a more legitimate game than the Three Card Monte played at the time, and attracted quite a following. People came back time and time again to basically lose their money on what they believed to be a fair game. Where the name Poker came from is as much as mystery as the game itself. Some historians claim it comes from poque - an old French game, others claim Germany's pochspiel, and yet other believe it is derived from the Hindu pukka. Yet another theory comes from the old pickpocket slang 'poke' , meaning cash or valuables.

The suggestion that the magical term 'hocus-pocus' has some relevance has also been raised, but ultimately no-one knows and can only make assumptions.When most people think of poker they conjure up an image of hard, East end villains playing in backroom venues, with the 'law' one step behind. and while the game certainly has a reputation, and some origins, as a 'man's game' in the underworld, it is played legitimately in every casino across the land.

Indeed, poker is more popular than any other card game. It has grown into a 'sporting' event, with competitions and tournaments all around the world - most notably The World Series of Poker. Poker tournaments take place almost every week of the year somewhere in the world.

It was also during that decade that the first serious Poker strategy books and poker development books appeared, notably The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky), Super System by Doyle Brunson and The Book of Tells by Mike Caro. Broadcast of poker tournaments for cable and satellite TV distribution has added additional popularity to the game with the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker now televised (amongst others) every year.

The origins of Poker seem to be a little unclear at times with many different versions floating around. One thing that is clear is that attention has been turned from gambling that involves playing the house as the house always wins in the long run. The game of poker puts players skills up against other Poker players and looks set to gain even more popularity in coming years.