Poker: Its History And Most Well-Known Versions

Who hasn’t heard of poker at this point? It’s so popular, in fact, that loads of people play the game outside of casinos. Even people who aren’t very knowledgeable about casino games can tell us at least a bit about poker!

However, where did this game come from, and how did it get so popular? Some historians have different claims about the game’s origins, but what we can say is that we’re thankful the game exists at all.

So, whether we’re visiting a brick-and-mortar casino to play the game or visiting an online casino to play a 32red slot and see the poker games in the menu, here’s the history of poker and its most well-known versions.

History Of Poker

Poker has been around for almost a thousand years, but most people don’t have an exact origin for poker. Some historians claim the game originates from a domino-card game played by a Chinese emperor in the 10th century; others say it originates from a Persian card game from the 16th century called “As Nas”.

Poker’s closest origin is most likely Europe, but historians even have a hard time thumbing down which part of Europe the game originated from. Many experts think the game may have been an adaptation of the 16th-century Spanish game primero.

Primero, along with the Italian game primiera and the French game la prime, were mentioned in literature in as early as 1526. However, it was another French game, Poque, that caught on in the 17th century. These games, along with the German game pochen, had three cards dealt to each player. Just like today, bluffing was key to the game.

The French brought Poque to its colonies in North America, where the name “poque” was anglicised to “poker”. The earliest reference to poker in America was in English actor Joe Cowell’s memoirs. His memoirs mentioned the game being played with five cards per player.

By 1834, this five-card version would eventually turn into the modern, 52-card deck version of poker we know and love. From then on, the game of poker would spread to several areas worldwide.

 Most Well-Known Versions

Now that we’ve discussed the history of poker, it’s time to discuss its most well-known versions.

 Draw Poker

Its ancestor, straight poker, had five cards dealt to each player, followed by one betting interval via the player nearest the dealer’s left. Then, a showdown would occur.

In draw poker, each active player, beginning with the dealer’s left, can discard one or more of their original cards for replacements, which is called a draw. What follows the draw is a second betting interval and the showdown.

 Stud Poker

In both the five-card and seven-card stud, each player will receive at least one card facedown (the hole card) and one care faceup. The seven-card stud is one of the most popular forms of poker, while the five-card stud lost its popularity in the 1950s.

 Community-Card Poker

There are many popular versions of community-card poker. One version is the Texas hold’em”, a studlike game where players share five cards face up on the table. Texas hold’em is known for its fixed limits and table stakes.

  All In

Poker is one of the most popular casino games worldwide, and its rich history and variety will keep bringing back players old and new.