History of poker revised
Gambling and online
betting always generate considerable amount
of debate among their advocates and opponents. Controversies
apart, blackjack, poker, baccarat and primero remain the
favorites among the casino card games. The early days of
twenty-first century has seen a digital revolution that
has swept the world and transformed it into a global village.
Now, everyone talks of online poker, online
blackjack, online bingo etc. The online casinos are becoming
a rage not just because of the ease with which one can enjoy
casino but also for their attractive offers like giving
free poker and free blackjack games to the privileged customers.
The online poker has made people unaware about the origin
of their favorite game. Poker's origin is widely disputed.
Among the various theories, the most plausible seems that
the Chinese invented Poker around 900 A.D. On New Year's
Eve 969, Emperor Mu-tsung is reported to have played "domino
cards" with his wife.
A less popular belief is that Poker
originated from the Persian game "As Nas". It is a 5-player
game, which requires a special deck of 25 cards with 5 suits.
However, this is only recorded back to the 17th century.
According to another theory, Poker is derived from "Poque".
Poque was a card game involving bluffing and betting. The
French who settled in New Orleans around 1480 played it.
This was also stated to be the first use of a deck consisting
of spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts.
Poker charted a consistent path in the United States. Poker
was first played in New Orleans. Then it traveled by steamboat
up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. With improvement in
transport technology, Poker spread fast to other parts of
US. Slowly, the players started innovating with the traditional
rules and modifications like stud poker, the draw, and the
straight became popular. European influence of poker ended
when the joker was introduced as a wild card in 1875.
The colorful history of Poker gets new version with every
player having his own take on Poker.
