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A Brief History of Poker
(October 18, 2006)
 The history of poker is both long and hotly contested. In fact, there doesn’t appear to be any consensus on the origins of the game. Unlike other modern card games there is no clearly identified precursor to the game, and what probably happened is that poker morphed into its present day format from a number of different games. Something that most gaming historians do agree on, however, is that owing to the basic principles of poker, it is surely a very, very old game.
The first written evidence/history of the game of poker comes from 1829 by the English actor Joseph Crowell, who reported seeing the game played with a 20-card deck in New Orleans. He was so interested that he wrote extensively about his first impressions of the game. He also introduced the game to his circle of peers upon his return to England and is thought to have been the driving force behind the spread of the game among the European nobility.
In Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling, he speaks of the proliferation of the game in riverboat casinos and its eventual spread across the United States via the Mississippi and then along the western frontier, where it came to epitomize the rough-and-tumble lives of gold prospectors and settlers.
Poker resembles several other games and is thought to be influenced, but not directly shaped, by these. For example, it shares a basis with the Persian game of as nas, which may have been brought to New Orleans by Persian sailors. It also shares several basic principles with the obsolete French Renaissance game called primero. However, neither of these games can be correctly credited as the only precursor to poker. In this respect, the game appears to be a relative newcomer to the field of parlour games. Other casino games, such a blackjack and roulette, have a much longer history.
The name poker itself likely descended from the French game of poque, a name which is derived from the German game of pochen (which literally means ‘to knock’). Although the names are similar, there is no clear connection, in terms of game similarities, between the English game of poker and its two namesake antecedents. Actualy, there are several other possibilities of where the name ‘poker’ came from. Some believe that the word poker came from the term ‘hocus-pocus’ used widely for centuries by magicians. Some even say it may have derived from the Hindu word pukka, meaning ‘lucky’. Like most things about the history of poker, there is no consensus regarding the origins of the name.
Following the spread of poker throughout the American frontier, it eventually made its way to Europe even though the majority of developments in the game were borne in the United States. Largely considered by historians to be as American as baseball and apple pie, the true history of the game remains clouded and therefore unclaimed by the masses. We do know that such innovations as the introduction of a 52-card deck, the advent of community card poker, and the introduction of the straight are all American modifications. Also, most variants of the game (including stud poker, draw poker, and split-pot poker) were created in casinos around the United States.
We all know the game is currently undergoing a tremendous spike in popularity all over the world. As the game continues to enjoy widespread media exposure, the numbers of new players from all walks of life will surely increase. All this means is that as poker reaches new audiences, the game and its history remain in a constant state of flux.
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