The History of Poker

Historians are unclear just when the game of poker came into being, but like most things American, it appears to have roots in card games from several different cultures. Throughout history societies from around the world have used playing cards as a means of gambling; and interestingly many of the names (despite the cultural and language disparity) seem quite similar. Which begs the question, from which game did they all originate?

In France the game was known as ‘Poque‘ and you can find many references to the game in Alexandre Dumas’s writings (most notably in The Three Musketeers) showing the games overall popularity and acceptance at the time.In Germany a similar card game appears, known as ‘Poch‘, or ‘PochSpiel‘. Both the German and French games have similar strategies that we see in the current forms of poker: Bluffing and deception, rounds of betting, and hand rankings.

Interestingly, half a world away in the Middle East and India similar card games appeared, all with similar rules and structure. According to Wikipedia, many historians trace the roots of the game back to the Renaissance era game of Primero, popularized in Italy in the 15^th century before spreading across Europe.

Poker as we know it developed along the Mississippi River sometime in the late 1700’s, ands by 1800 was firmly entrenched as a part of American culture. In 1829, Joseph Crowell told of a 20-card came in Louisiana, where players wagered on whose hand was the strongest (interestingly this form seems to resemble the Persian game of ‘As Nas’ more than the European games of ‘Poque’ or ‘Poch’ which one would expect).

By 1850 a ‘draw’ had been added to the game (the 1850 book, Bohn’s New Handbook of Games, Henry F. Anners, references a draw), which added more betting rounds and skill to poker. Over the years many other facets have been added (even recently): flushes, straights, Stud-poker, Hold’ Em, and even the recent addition of games like Omaha 8 or better. And poker’s popularity -and mainstream acceptance-has waxed and waned throughout the years: With a high point throughout the 19^th Century before being scorned as gambling for most of the 20^th century, and once again -in the 21^st Century– poker has been able to reform it’s back-room, “shady”, image and recapture the glamorous image it once held.

So, while the origins of the game are unclear, what is clear is poker (in some form) has lasted centuries and has been an ever evolving game. Where it goes in the future is up for debate, but it’s a certainty that Texas Hold’ Em will be replaced by another form of poker, which will be replaced by yet another. And even more likely is that people will continue to gamble on poker in some shape or form - It has already lasted over 500 years, and most likely has been around since the invention of playing cards.