Poker is by far the most popular card game in the world. Today’s poker has many variants. The prevalent types are Texas Hold ’em, Omaha High, Five-card draw and Seven-card stud.
If you’re a poker enthusiast these days, you’ve probably read some strategy books or blogs about the best way to play poker. The game has an unclear origin, but there are some theories on how it came to be. Although there is no certainty about the game’s inception, we know a great deal about the development through the years.
Online poker changed the game for all
Before the Internet age dawned, poker took the world by storm with world tournaments. The game was available in all brick ‘n’ mortar casinos, but iGaming’s evolution broadened the audience. Because of the numerous variants of poker games you can check on online casino NetBet and similar sites, countless players acquired almost professional skills.
Winning a live or online poker tournament is daunting with so many gifted and talented players today. In the beginning, the story was somewhat different.
Poker through history
Two theories describe the inception of poker. According to one story, poker originated from the Persian card game As Nas. The other more plausible story speaks of the French game Poque played in gambling saloons in mid-18thcentury France. The game became more popular in the 19th century.
Whether it came from Persia or France, poker evolved in the US and got modern rules and variants. Early poker variants from French sailors in New Orleans spread through steamboats on the great Mississippi River. The whole 52 cards soon replaced the early 20 card deck.
Poker was popular with pioneers and saloons in the Old West. Most of us watched poker matches in old Western classics, and the game was part of the iconography of the American frontier.
Poker variations development
The first type of globally popular card game was a five-card draw. In the mid-20th century, seven-card stud became a thing thanks to some famous figures’ endorsement. American presidents like Eisenhower and Truman were known poker players.
Texas is home to probably the most popular poker variant. In the 1960s, in the Lone Star state, Hold Me Darling poker originated and slowly turned into Texas Hold’Em. It became a part of the Las Vegas scene when it came to the Golden Nugget Casino in 1964.
The next decade brought the first World Series of Poker. Again, the showdown of poker stars elevated the world champion, and the variant they played was Texas Hold ’em.
Modern age poker games
Poker gained immense popularity, and events were televised in the 70s. However, everything dramatically changed in 1998 when the first online poker room, Planet Poker, launched. Online casino development brought poker to millions of players, and each iGaming website has numerous games, both against AI and with live dealers.
Poker tournaments now have massive prizes in millions of dollars, pounds or euros. For example, the Poker Stars tournament had a quarter of a million players in the 2013 single online event.
