The discovery of new media (internet) was a boon for us. Not just it made the communication easier and the entire world closer, it served and is continuing to serve various other purposes. Our entertainment is one of the purposes it serves.
The beginning
Online gambling began in the 1990s, with sports betting appearing initially and then the online casinos and poker rooms following it soon after. By the year 2000, internet access was available to the common people. And when Christopher Bryan Moneymaker, an American poker player, qualified for and went on to win the World Series of Poker in 2003 after playing a satellite tournament at an online poker site, the fame of online poker went high.
The very first reference to video poker appeared in 1830s. Poker machines started appearing in America during 1800s. These machines were coin operating and manufacturing by Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn. They were normally in cigarette and liquor stores.
Other reference of playing poker live throughout history includes 12th and 13th century Egyptian game of cards and also a 165th century Persian game named as ‘Ganjifa’, or Treasure cards.
Poker dates back to
If you want to trace back the history of poker, you have to go over ten centuries back. With the years passing by, the game has evolved. The cards have developed, the playing style has improved and players have discovered new techniques to play poker. But, the concept of card rankings and bluffing about the card you have in your hand, is the one that has been around for more than a millennium.
There is a belief amongst the poker lovers; a game similar to poker discovered in 969 AD. The Chinese Emperor Mu-tsung reported to have played the game of ‘dominos’ cards with his wife on New Year eve.
The first video poker machines did not appear until 1970s, when computers were beginning to be available to people easily. Video poker experienced a revival in its popularity during this phase, as the fresh machines were attractive and interesting than the older ones to play poker games.
Evolution of Poker name
Poker, the name, believed to evolve from either French game ‘Poque’, or the German game ‘Pochen’ came from 17th and 18th century.
The older machines were similar in operation to the first slot machines. The poker players will insert a coin in the machine and pull the lever of the machine. These machines had drums with cards attached and these drums would spin to create hand. Winning hands did not pay out in cash, rather in cigars and liquors.
The first poker variation most people learn is Five-Card Draw. This is an admired variant of poker in home games, but is not generally seen in casinos.
The playing style had evolved from then. Each poker player is dealt five cards, one at a time, and all the cards are placed face down. The rest of the deck is placed to one side while players study their hands, and then settle on to bet or fold.
If there is still more than one player left in the game, then there is a showdown, where all the players disclose their hands, and the player with the best hand wins on the game.
After the players have been dealt their replacement cards, a second round of poker game starts!
Happy Gaming!