US HoldemOrigin of Poker
Origin of Poker
Poker is believed to have evolved from many different games. In 1834, Jonathan Green referred to Poker as a cheating game played in Mississippi. His account of the game was the first in written history and he chose to call the game Poker.
He described Poker as being played with 20 cards. Poker, in his account, used only the face cards, aces and tens. Five cards are dealt to a minimum of 2 to a maximum of five players. At the time Green wrote about Poker, it was the most popular game in Mississippi riverboats. Thus, Poker appeared to be developed by the cardsharps.
Historians debate on the origin of the word Poker. Most literature says that it came from the French word Pogue. The Germans claim Poker as their Pochspiel, a German game. And there are some who believe that Poker was derived from the Hindu word, Pukka.
Another good explanation for the word poker is that it is alleged as a version of a pickpocket slang, "poke." The Cardsharps of Mississippi who used and said to have developed the game used the game to relieve a chump from his jail. The letter r was added to the original word to conceal the slang among themselves, thus making it a jargon among the pick pockets.
Interestingly, there are also those who believe that the word poker was derived from the magician's "hocus-pocus."
From an original 20-card game, the game of Poker evolved to a 32-card game. The modern version of Poker has a deck of 52 excluding from the count the two Jokers.
Like all other card games, Poker evolved through the years. Poker had been played by the rich and the famous, from East to West for more than a century. Some history books even regard Poker as an elitist card game that entertained the early 1900 aristocrats.
Poker was played by actors and actresses, by famous political personalities and by the whole world. Now, almost any salon or beer house in town has a room for Poker.
Presently, Poker is accessed by millions of people in casinos and internet card rooms. Poker has gained so much popularity that it became not just a gambling event regulated strictly by gambling laws but as a sporting event joined by the many.
Poker tournaments and competitions have grown to rewards millions to lucky players. Poker is a culture, a way of living embraced by millions of people to this day.
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