History of poker

The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The exact origin of poker is unknown but many have speculated that it originated from a 16th century Persian card game called As Nas. Played with a 25 card deck containing five suits, the rules were similar to today's Five Card Stud possessed similar poker hands rankings, such as three-of-a-kind. In all likelihood, the game derived from elements of various gambling diversions that have been around from the beginning of time. The origin of the word Poker is also well debated. General consensus seems to be that it comes from an eighteenth-century French game, poque, which likely descended from the German game, pochspiel (spiel means game). Pochen is a verb meaning to primarily to hit, strike, or knock on the table, and secondarily 'play' or 'bet' or 'raise'. While origins of poker may lie in Persia and Europe, poker was truly developed in the United States. Poker was first widely played (with a deck of 20 cards (aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens) and four players) in New Orleans in the early 1800's. From there, prior to the American Civil War and during the gold rush, poker spread quickly to towns throughout the Western frontier. By the mid 1800's poker had evolved into the 52-card game we know today and after that, during American Civil War, many additions were made to the game. These additions included the straight (hand ranking) and new forms of poker, most notable being draw poker and stud poker. Lowball and split-pot poker were developed around 1900 and community card poker games around 1925.

The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases and clichés as ace in the hole, ace up one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip, call one's bluff, cash in, high roller, 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. Poker’s popularity experienced an unprecedented spike in the first years of the 21st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Viewers could 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 brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors. Because of the increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros are becoming more and more like celebrities, with poker fans all over the world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to play with them. This increased camera exposure also brings a new dimension to the poker professional's game - the realization that their actions may be aired later on TV.

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