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Copyright © 2005 - 2014 ThePokerFather.com

By: Anthony Von Ducci 

Introduction 

Poker is the most popular card game played worldwide and Texas Hold'em Poker is the

most popular version of Poker played. This then raises the historical questions of

"Where did Texas Hold'em come from?”; what is the "History of Poker?" and finally what

is the "History of Texas Hold'em Poker?". To answer this complex question with fourwords…"no one really knows,” all we can do is speculate how this game came to be. 

Before we can begin getting into the history and the creation of Texas Hold'em Poker

we need to understand the history of poker, more specifically, how the game "Poker"

evolved. There are many theories on this topic because people tend to have differences

of opinions when it comes to the history of Poker, or better yet, the origins of

Poker. The primary reason is because there seems to be no clear evidence of a

predecessor of the game. Furthermore, it is more likely that the ingredients of Poker

derived from many different historical card games. There is, however, an agreement

amongst the different theories, which is its basic principle; the birth of Poker is a

very old one.

Skip To:

Name - Birth - Historic Evolution - Texas Hold'em History 

History of Poker Part 2 

The Name Poker 

The origin of the word Poker is also a well-debated topic. There are as many

variations regarding the possible birthplace of Poker as there are of the game itself.

A. Chinese A popular belief is that Poker started forming in China around 900 A.D. Even though

cards, as we know them, had not emerged yet. The Chinese had the game dominoes, which

had not only been developed in this era, but also was becoming very popular. It is

written that Emperor Mu Tsung introduced the game of "domino cards" to his wife in 969

A.D. which could have been the embryo of Poker's slow-growing birth.

B. Egyptian Our next moment in time brings us to Egypt. Even though the nature of the Egyptian

card games remain buried, remnants of cards have been recovered and have been dated

back as far as the 12th or 13th century. Furthermore, the remaining cards pieces can

be linked to cards used for the eastern origin "Ganjifa" ("Treasure-cards") in the

early 16th century.

C. Indian Some propose that modern cards originated from the Indian card game of Ganjifa. The

Ganjifa card deck consisted of 96 elegantly painted cards which were used in a variety

of betting games that were played. The highly stylized cards may have helped pave the

way to the Persian game of "As Nas,"

D. Persian As Nas is a game that consists of five players which requires a special 25 card deck

that has 5 suits. This game has a meted deal, has betting rounds, and has hierarchical

hand rankings. This game has the most resemblance to the game of Poker; however, As

Nas only dates back to the 17th century.

E. French The most popular etymological root for Poker comes from the French game "Poque”. Poque

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was a card game that involved bluffing and betting. In addition, it is stated to be

the first card game that used a deck of cards which had Spades, Hearts, Clubs and

Diamonds. Furthermore, the French were one of the most avid nations for card playing

during the early 15th century.

F. English The English may not have been known as a card playing nation until the latter half of

the 15th century; however, the British have been recognized for their innovation for anumber of early card games, which include: Primero, Brag, and Faro. It has been said

that these games are some of the first known "casino style” games where an uncertain

number of players (called ‘punters’) would bet against a single dealer (call a

‘Banker’). 

G. German Poque was also a pioneer of another pre-poker card game, a German game, called

"Pochspiel” which translates into "knock-play". This game resembles Poker in a number

of ways. Firstly, its name is derived from the fact that at one stage of the game the

player, in turn, declares the state of their hand by either passing or opening. Those

who pass, signify it by saying, ‘Ich poche,’ or ‘Ich poch.’ This was sometimes shown

by knocking on the table with one’s knuckles. Finally, this game also introduced the

tactic of bluffing into the early stages of the betting world.

H. Danish Poker may possibly come, indirectly, from the Danish word pokker, signifying the

devil. And lets not forget gambling is considered a sin in some religions!

I. Possible Myth Another possible explanation for the word Poker could have been copied from and

underworld slang word "poke”. Back in the days when card games were played on the

Mississippi River Boats this was a term used by pickpockets. Cardsharps (an expert in

cheating at cards) used a deck of 20-card and played a game, which was formed on the

bases of cheating, against contestants ("suckers’) in the street to alleviate them

from their "poke” or "wager”. The cardsharps may have added the ‘r’ to make it "Poker”

and use the word amongst themselves hoping their victims make not pick up on the

change in the slang word.

With so many claims to the name, the chance of narrowing down on the exact birthplace

of the History of Poker is parallel to the chance of hitting a Royal Flush!

(top) 

History of Poker Part 3 

The Birth of Poker 

Any one of these earlier games, or a combination of them, could have easily been the

egg that Poker hatched from. However, with regards to Poker’s distinct North American

concept, it seems that the French were the most influential gamblers in the Colonial

New World.

In the early 17th century the French colonials arrived in Canada, with them they

brought their beloved ‘poque’ card game. The game, however, did not become popular

until the beginning of the early 18th century in New Orleans. Furthermore, it was

French-Canadian settlers who planted the population seed of the blossoming town New

Orleans.

To help pass time during the Civil War, poque was played by many of the soldiers. It

was here where the first different versions of Poker arose from. There were many

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soldiers all in different locations across North America playing a game called Poque.

Versions such as "Stud” or "Draw”, which are predecessors to present day Poker,

emerged during this time period. It has been argued that the proper game Poker took

its first breath during this chaotic time period in America. However, the game did not

receive the Poker title until 1834. The name Poker was awarded to the game by gambler

named Green.

Jonathan H. Green learned how to play cards when he was a young man in a CincinnatiPenitentiary where he had been imprisoned for petty crimes. After his release he went

to the Mississippi River, debatably the busiest gambling region of the period. It is

here where he started his career as a professional card player and where he first came

into contact with the many versions of poque. In his writing he refers to the many

versions of poque as "the Cheating Game", which indicates these games could have been

developed by the cardsharps.

"The Cheating Game" quickly gained popularity over a former cardsharp game called the

3-card monte primarily because the new game was perceived by the players to be more

challenging and honest. Green was very intrigued by this new game and discovered that

there was no definition in the American Hoyle (dictionary) or, for that matter, in any

other documentation of his time. Jonathan H. Green then took it upon himself to

officially name and document the 'Cheating Game' in his book as "An Exposure of the

Arts and Miseries of Gambling: Poker”. 

(top) 

History of Poker Part 3 

The Evolution of Poker 

Since its birth, Poker has multiplied, changed forms, and has spread across the globe

like a transmittable virus. It has been crowned the most popular played card game in

world. There are many forms of Poker that is played and the popularity between each

form has also changed.

The first crown was worn by the game 5 card draw or stud. This game rose from relativeobscurity during the time of the American Civil War to dominate the Poker scene for

almost a century. Next was the game 7 card stud. This game took over the throne prior

to the Second World War and wore the crown for approximately forty years. 7 card

stud’s popularity was, however, aided by the booming Nevada gaming industry during the

50’s and 60’s. Presently, Texas Hold’em Poker is the Royal Flush of all Poker games

and has been ever since the 1970’s! 

(top) 

History of Texas Hold'em Poker 

Texas Hold'em Poker History–

 Past, Present, and Future As previously mentioned, "no one really knows” where Texas Hold'em came from. There is

no precise information in regards to where the first game of Texas Hold’em Poker was

played. However, according to legend, the earliest game played was in Robstown -

Texas, in the early 1900s and it first came to Dallas - Texas, in 1925.

Today, it is unquestionably the most commonly played Poker game anywhere. Players are

not only passionate about playing the game itself, but also are enthusiastic to access

the immeasurable collection of educational resources in order to improve their game

skills as well.

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Texas Hold'em Poker gained its popularity from the World Series of Poker Tournament.

The World Series of Poker has been held annually ever since its opening date in 1970

at the Horseshoe in Downtown Las Vegas. Every year since then, more and more Texas

Hold'em Poker Tournaments have developed on a global scale, and even more and more

people are all trying to get in on the action.

As the millennium past and the internet industry grew, players and viewers all over

the world no longer have to be in Las Vegas, Nevada to enjoy the excitement of TexasHold'em Poker. Modern day technology has given players the ability and resources to

access ring or tournament games at virtually any point on the globe. So whether you

are sitting at a table in the luxurious Monte Carlo Casino in France, or using your

cell phone to play while on a ski lift in Whistler - Canada, or an astronaut

downloading ThePokerClub software on the International Space Station, everyone

everywhere now has a the ability to claim their name in the game of fame – Texas

Hold'em Poker!

(top) 

Copyright © 2005 - 2010 ThePokerFather.com

This article "The History of Poker and Texas Hold'em Poker" may be freely reprinted inyour ezine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it credited properly and

 provides a live link back to ThePokerfather's website: 

http://www.thepokerfather.com/history_poker.html 

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The history of Poker is thought to have evolved over more than ten centuries from various games, all involving thebasic principals of ranked card or domino combinations and the use of „bluffing‟ to deceive opponents. 

One popular belief is that a game similar to poker was first invented by the Chinese sometime before 969 A.D, whenThe Emperor Mu-tsung is reported to have played "domino cards" with his wife on new years eve.

Egyptians in the 12th & 13th centuries are known to have used a form of playing cards, and in 16th century Persia“Ganjifa” or “Treasure Cards” were used for a variety of betting games. A Ganjifa deck consisted of 96 elaboratecards, often made of paper thin slices of ivory or precious wood. The Persians played “As Nas” which utilized 25cards, rounds of betting and hierarchical hand rankings.

 A French game named “Poque” and a German game named “Pochen” became very popular in the 17 & 18thcenturies, both developed from the 16th century Spanish game called “Primero” which involved three cards beingdealt to each player. Bluffing, or betting high stakes whilst holding poor cards to deceive opponents, was an integralpart of the game. Primero dates back to 1526 and is often referred to as “poker‟s mother” as it is the first confirmedversion of a game directly related to modern day poker.

French colonials imported the game to the new world when they arrived in Canada. Their beloved poque was thenational card game of France and from the beginning of the 18th century, when a hardy group of French-Canadiansettlers founded New Orleans, it spread from the state of Louisiana up the Mississippi river and then throughout thewhole country.

In 1834, Jonathan H. Green made one of the earliest written references to poker when inhis writing he mentions rules to the "cheating game," being played on Mississippi riverboats. The Cheating Game"quickly began to supplant the popular cardsharp game of 3-card monte on the gambling circuit. Gamers embracedthe new game as it was perceived as a more challenging and 'honest' gamble than the notoriously rigged 3-cardgame. Green took more than a passing interest in the new game and took it upon himself to formally name anddocument the 'Cheating Game' in his book 'An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling': Poker was born.

During the Wild West period of United States history, a saloon with a Poker table could be found in just about everytown from coast to coast. It was extremely popular during the Civil War when the soldiers of both armies played.European influence of poker ended when the joker was introduced as a wild card in 1875.

In just over two centuries, poker has never looked back. Since its humble beginning on the banks of the Mississippi,the popularity of this widely played game has grown in leaps and bounds to evolve numerous variations and sub-variations.

There have been three games that have, in turn, dominated the modern poker scene:

  5 Card Draw rose from relative obscurity during the American Civil War to the most popular game for almosta century.

Nevada made it a felony to run a betting game. However the Attorney General of California declaredthat draw poker  was based upon skill and therefore the anti-gambling laws could not stop it. But studpoker  was still deemed illegal as it was based solely on chance. With this decision, draw poker gamesdeveloped and grew. This caused Nevada to reverse itself in 1931 and legalize casino gambling.

  7 Card Stud then took over the throne shortly before WWII and maintained its position for about 40 yearswith the help of the new and thriving Las Vegas casino industry.

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  Texas Hold‟em, christened the „cadillac of poker‟ rose to promienence in the 1970's when it was featured asthe title game in the World Series of Poker . Today, Texas Hold‟em is indisputably the most frequently playedand most popular poker game in the world, played in casinos and on home game tables the world over.

Other variations such as Omaha, Stud Poker , Manila, Draw Poker  and Razz are also popular, but nothing cancompete with the thrill of No Limit Texas Hold‟em. 

No Limit Texas Hold‟em played at The World Series of Poker and the WorldPoker Tour have been captivating American television audiences to the point that there are now made for TV eventssuch as the National Heads Up Poker Championship and the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions beingfilmed especially for TV and shown in prime time.

Poker looks like it is here to stay and its popularity has never been as widespread nor as quickly growing as it is rightnow. With the wealth of poker information available online, and the relative ease of logging on and playing with other

poker players from around the world, including the ever-growing online poker  community in the United Kingdom,there is no time like the present to join the poker craze. Play online poker now by clicking through to our list ofthe best poker rooms. 

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An Introduction to Texas Holdem Poker

So you're new to Texas Holdem poker? Not a problem. Texas Holdem poker is by far the best game for abeginner to learn. Other poker games like Omaha or 7 card stud need a higher understandingof  calculating odds and card counting. Texas Holdem can be learned in a few minutes and you can beplaying fairly well with a few hours of practice. However, in order to learn the game you must play and you

must play fairly often.

Online poker rooms offer a wide variety of play money tables where beginners may practice for free untilthey are ready to move up to the fun at real money tables. We recommend playing online to start becauseonline poker rooms handle many tedious details, like dealing, shuffling, and determining who has the besthand.

 A Texas Hold'em poker game goes as follows:

1. Depending on the limit and betting structure, players will place out blinds and antes so there is aninitial amount to get things started. This is called posting .

2. The dealer shuffles up a standard deck of 52 playing cards.3. Each player is dealt two private cards face down. These are called your hole cards or pocket

cards.4. Then there is a round of betting starting with the player to the left of the blinds. This is

the preflop betting round. Like most games of poker, players can call, raise, or fold.5. After the betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called a burn

card . This is done to prevent cheating. 6. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. This is called the flop. These are

communal cards that anyone can use in combination with their two pocket cards to form a pokerhand.

7. The player to the left of the dealer starts another betting round.8. After the betting concludes, the dealer burns again then flips another communal card onto the

table. This is called the turn.9. The player to the left of the dealer begins another round of betting. In many types of games, this

is where the bet size doubles.

10. Again, the dealer burns a card and places a final card face up on the table. This is calledthe river . Players can now use any of the five cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket toform a five card poker hand.

11. There is one final round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.12. After that, we have the showdown. Players who have not folded reveal their hands, beginning

with the player to the left of the last player to call. Players use a combination of their pocket cardsand the community cards to form a five card poker hand. 

13. The player who shows the best hand wins! Although sometimes players with the same hand splitthe pot. 

Once you understand the game's basic structure, you can play Texas hold 'em and even some ofits variants. Texas Holdem is an easy game to learn, just difficult to master. The "mastering" part is thecostly part, requiring study and practice. This website offers lots of articles and tools to get you started on

the studying. You can practice all you want for free in online poker rooms.

Check out 888Poker  to get a feel for the action. They have free money tables, and you can start playingfor real money as soon as you feel ready. They have both low limits for newer players as well as highstakes tables.

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GOING ALL IN FOR ONLINEPOKER BY NEWSWEEK STAFF 8/14/05 AT 8:00 PM 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: News 

Jason Kim was on a roll. One night last month, the 33-year-old policy analyst

for the U.S. Department of Commerce won $60 in just 15 minutes of virtual,

low-stakes Texas hold 'em on the popular online gambling site PartyPoker.com.

Playing from his home PC against a half dozen strangers from around the world,

Kim won three hands with a pocket pair of aces, a two pair of kings and nines

and, finally, by turning a full house from what poker pros disdainfully call "the

hammer"--a seven and two of different suits. But when he's not sitting at his

computer these days, Kim has a different moneymaking scheme on his mind:

 betting on the poker sites, instead of at them. Earlier this year he invested in the

stock of Internet bank Neteller, which allows players to gamble online with realdollars, and recently he began studying the stock of PartyGaming, the parent

company of PartyPoker. "Everyone is going to be playing online in a couple of

years," he says. "I want to get in before the gold rush really starts."

He may already be too late. Thanks to the never-ending broadcasts of celebrity

and professional poker tournaments, poker is now the third most-watched

televised sport on cable TV--behind only car racing and football. Business in the

roughly 300 major virtual poker halls of the Net is booming, and in late June,

five-year-old PartyGaming, based on the tiny European peninsula of Gibraltar,was among the first to take a crucial step for any ambitious dot-com: it went

 public on the London Stock Exchange, where its stock has since shot up 40

 percent. Other poker dot-coms are now lining up to follow suit and big

American investment funds are throwing in their chips and investing. Only the

U.S. casino giants are left on the sidelines, banned from the action because of

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one remarkable fact: despite its success, online poker is technically illegal in

America, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Still, as Web poker

 booms, the Feds aren't doing much to stifle the party. "Everybody is

comfortable that the U.S. government is not going to take any enforcement

action," says Las Vegas lawyer Anthony Cabot.

The poker Web sites evade Uncle Sam with a fashionable modern-business

strategy--offshoring. They set up their homes in such places as Gibraltar or the

U.K. protectorate the Isle of Man, where they are regulated, lightly taxed and

free to ride the seemingly unstoppable wave of poker popularity. Every day, 1.8

million players--more than 70 percent from the United States--throw their chips

into the virtual pots of the Internet, according to tracking firm PokerPulse.com.

Research firm Christiansen Capital Advisors says online-poker revenues have

grown from $82.7 million in 2001 to $2.4 billion today--and projects the amount

to double once again by 2005. The PartyGaming IPO in June offered a peek into

the fortunes being amassed by the online poker start-ups. Its prospectus revealed

that the company's profits more than tripled to $349 million in the last year, and

it had virtually no debt. While concern over legal issues initially drove the IPO

 price down, the offering was three times oversubscribed, despite being off-limits

to U.S. investors. "This isn't like the dot-com opportunities of the past," says Nigel Parson, a research analyst at Williams de Broe in London. "This spews

out cash like you've never seen."

Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week The popularity and success of online poker hasn't changed any minds in

Washington. The federal government argues that Internet gambling violates

three federal antigambling laws, including the 1961 Wire Act. A Justice

Department official, who was able to speak frankly with NEWSWEEK on the

condition his name not be used, noted that while Internet gambling is against

U.S. law, prosecutors have greater priorities, such as combating terrorism and

drugs. "We give what resources we can to it, but it's hard to keep up with," he

says.

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That makes playing or hosting poker games on the Web a little like going a few

miles over the highway speed limit. It's technically illegal, but everyone does it

and you probably won't get in trouble. Last month at the World Series of Poker

in Las Vegas, nearly two thirds of the 5,619 players qualified in online

competitions. Executives of the offshore poker sites, many of whom were in

town for the tournament, seemed untroubled by any potential penalties for their

illicit vocation. Banners for their Web sites covered the walls and halls of

Harrah's Rio casino, where the competition was held. Similarly, online poker

ads have returned to magazines, TV and the Internet, even though the Justice

Department asked media companies in 2003 to stop taking them. The poker dot-

coms have devised a simple workaround: they advertise their "educational" dot-

net sites (such as PartyPoker.net), where players use imaginary money, thenleave it to their customers to find the real wagering. This year, two offshore

 poker sites, Full Tilt Poker and UltimateBet, have even used their dot-net

affiliates to sponsor entire shows on Fox Sports.

Even Wall Street can't stand being left out of this high-stakes game. Goldman

Sachs and Morgan Stanley are reportedly working on the forthcoming IPO in

England of Betfair, which helps gamblers place wagers against each other on

everything from sports to politics (Betfair does not currently take wagers fromU.S. citizens). Big investment funds are also snapping up shares of the Web

gambling companies. Fidelity, Goldman Sachs and Blue Ridge Capital--all

American firms--are three of the top five institutional investors in the U.K.-

 based sports-wagering site Sportingbet.com, which trades on the London

exchange.

The only players left without a seat at the green velvet table are American

companies like the big casinos, and they're frustrated by missing out on the fat

stakes. Two years ago, MGM launched a poker site from the Isle of Man that

catered only to non-U.S. players. It gave up after two months because customers

didn't care to go through the arduous process to prove they didn't live in the

United States. Steve Lipscomb of the World Poker Tour, who kick-started the

 poker craze with a TV show on the Travel Channel, is now trying to make that

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same everywhere-but-America strategy work with his new poker site. "It's the

most inequitable circumstance you can imagine," he says. "Only companies that

 pay any attention to the regulatory authorities in the U.S. cannot participate in

this business."

Everyone else plans to keep pursuing the tempting pot. The online casinos talk

about expanding their service onto mobile phones and interactive television.

Many experts also predict consolidation in the industry, as firms like

PartyPoker, flush with IPO cash, look to gobble up rivals. Meanwhile, Arizona

Sen. Jon Kyl plans to reintroduce legislation this fall to explicitly ban online

gambling--though versions of his bill have failed to make it through Congress

for the last eight years. (His representative declined to give details of the bill,

 but confirmed it was forthcoming.)

For gamblers like Jason Kim, it hardly matters. Regardless of U.S. policy, there

are 80,000 players on PartyPoker.com every night and, he notes with glee,

"there are lots of bad players willing to lose their money to good players." As

long as that's true--and as long as the primal and sometimes destructive passion

for gambling beats strong in the human heart--it would be unwise to place a bet

against online poker.

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