History of Poker

Poker was initially played in 1829 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game was played with a deck of 20 cards and four players betted on which player’s hand was the most valuable. Later on in time, the game of Poker spread from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common activity.

Soon after this, the full 52-card English deck was used and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many variations were introduced including stud Poker and straight Poker.

Modern Poker consisted of tournaments, which were played in casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970. In the late 1970s, the first poker strategy books appeared. During the 1980s, the Game of Poker was played for entertainment purposes.

The popularity of Poker gained serious momentum at the beginning of the 21st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker. Spectators could now follow the action and drama of the game on television; they could also play the game in the comfort of their own home.

After this increase in popularity, new poker tours soon emerged, such as the World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour, which were both televised. After this, more tours were created, such as Latin American Poker Tour and Asia Pacific Poker Tour.

Nowadays, Poker is played throughout the world at most Casinos. Online Poker is also a popular activity.