Poker – The Beginnings

European settlers coming to America brought with them a variety of card games which quickly became popular. These games gradually changed and evolved into early versions of Poker, appearing first in 19th Century gaming saloons of New Orleans. From here, it rapidly spread along the Mississippi and soon made it’s way right across America, becoming particularly popular especially among service men. Then, around the 1830s, the
game was played with decks of twnty cards, dealt between four players.

As time went by, Poker evolved further and eventually the deck expanded to 52 cards. This made it possible for more players to take part in a game, as well as giving players the option to draw more cards. This resulted in the game being transformed from being a game of pure chance into being a game of skill. By 1900, the game had changed in many ways. Where in the beginning the highest hands possible were either four aces or four kings with an added ace kicker, after the Civil War, flushes and straights were introduced. In spite of it’s popularity, it was 1904 before an official set of rules was devised.

The evolution of Poker continued, and there are now many variations available to players, such as Draw, Stud and a favourite, Texas Hold’em, introduced in 1919.

Even newer variations include communal cards. Dealt face up, these cards can be used by players to combine them with the cards they hold in order to create the best possible hand.

As Poker became increasingly popular, tournaments began to emerge, becoming more and more standardised, with the most prestigious, the World Series of Poker, beginning in 1970.

Having started as a pastime for American Service men, Poker has now been exported to just about every country around the world and is becominig more and more accepted as a game of skill.

Today, players are dealt five cards (in some variations, it is possible for players to exchange cards). Each player then places a bet into a pot, which will be won by the player with either the strongest hand or the best bluff – as the game involves secrecy and bluffing, it is not necessarily the player with the strongest hand who ends up winning.

Poker players rely on observation and skill as much as they do on luck. Each player will attempt to evaluate other players’ characters watch out for tells – signs of bluffing. The best and most successful players are usually those with the most knowledge of human behaviour and nature, as this enables an astute player to pretty much identify who has a good or bad hand