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The history of poker is a
matter of debate. One of the earliest known
games to incorporate betting, hand rankings, and
bluffing was the 15h century German game Pochspiel. It closely resembles the Persian game
of as nas, though there is no evidence of its
existence prior to 1890.
In the 1937
edition of Foster's Complete Hoyle, R. F. Foster
declared: "the game of poker, as first played in
the United States, five cards to each player
from a twenty-card pack, is undoubtedly the
Persian game of as nas."
By 1990s some
gaming historians including David Parlett
started to challenge the notion that poker is a
direct derivative of As Nas. There is
evidence that a game called poque, a French game
similar to poker, was played around the region
where poker is said to have originated. The name
of the game likely descended from the Irish Poca
(Pron. Pokah) ('Pocket') or even the French
poque, which descended from the German pochen
('to brag as a bluff' lit. 'to knock'). Yet
it is not clear whether the origins of poker
itself lie with the games bearing those names.
It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with
the Renaissance game of primero and the French
brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg)
clearly descended from brelan and incorporated
bluffing (though the concept was known in other
games by that time). It is quite possible
that all of these earlier games influenced the
development of poker as it exists now.
Harry Truman's poker chips English actor Joseph
Crowell reported that the game was played in New
Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards and
four players betting on which player's hand was
the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An
Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling
(G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described
the spread of the game from there to the rest of
the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which
gambling was a common pastime. As it spread
north along the Mississippi River and to the
West during the gold rush, it is thought to have
become a part of the frontier pioneer ethos.
Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English
deck was used, and the flush was introduced.
During the American Civil War, many additions
were made, including draw poker, stud poker (the
five-card variant), and the straight. Further
American developments followed, such as the wild
card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker
(around 1900), and community card poker games
(around 1925). The spread of the game to other
countries, particularly in Asia, is often
attributed to the U.S. military.
The game and jargon of poker have become
important parts of American culture and English
culture. Such phrases and clichés as ace in the
hole, ace up one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip,
call one's bluff, cash in, high roller, pass the
buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when
the chips are down, wild card, and others are
used in everyday conversation, even by those
unaware of their origins at the poker table.
Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic
City, New Jersey Beginning in 1970 a series of
developments lead to poker becoming far more
popular than it was previously:
Modern tournament play became popular in
American casinos after the World Series of Poker
began, in 1970. Notable champions from these
early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss,
Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson, and Puggy Pearson.
Later in the 1970s, the first serious strategy
books appeared, notably Super/System by Doyle
Brunson and The Book of
Tells by Mike Caro,
followed later by The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky.
In 1987, community card poker games were
introduced in California, home of the largest
poker casinos in the world. These games
proved far more exciting to players than the
draw poker variants that were played up until
that time.
In the 1990s, poker and casino gambling spread
across the United States, most notably to
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In 1998, the poker-themed film Rounders starring
Matt Damon and Edward Norton was released.
In 1999, Late Night Poker debuted on British
television, introducing poker for the first time
to many Europeans.
Poker's popularity experienced an unprecedented
spike at the beginning of the 21st century,
largely because of the introduction of online
poker and the invention of the hole-card camera,
which turned the game into a spectator sport.
Viewers could now follow the action and drama of
the game, and broadcasts of poker tournaments
such as the World Series of Poker and the World
Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable
and satellite TV distributors. Because of the
increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros
became more like celebrities, with poker fans
all over the world entering into expensive
tournaments for the chance to play with them.
This increased camera exposure also brings a new
dimension to the poker professional's game—the
realization that their actions may be aired
later on TV.
Major poker tournament fields have grown
dramatically because of the growing popularity
of online satellite-qualifier tournaments where
the prize is an entry into a major tournament.
The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions, Chris
Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won
their seats to the main event by winning online
satellites.
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