A Very Brief History of Poker

06.10.2008

The origin of poker and the course of its early development is open to speculation. Some contend that it is a direct descendant of Poque, an old French game in which bluffing seems to have played a considerable part.

It is possible that the name Poque derived from the French verb pocher, meaning to bluff. Others say that its origins go as far back as the ancient Persian game of As nas. An early Italian game called n Frusso, played in the fifteenth century, also bears some similarity to poker. This game developed into Primiera in Italy, Primero in Spain and Le Mesle or Prime in France. It was introduced to England in the early seventeenth century where it later matured into a game named Post and Pair. As settlers from France, Spain, Italy and England emigrated to what eventually became the USA, they brought with them these various forms of what we can now call poker.
There is general agreement that the transformation of these early games into the modem form of' draw poker' occurred in North America in the early part of the nineteenth century. The game was played by pioneers in the backwoods and gradually the word poker began to appear in writings and' dime novels' of the period. The city of New Orleans is considered to be the place where poker first rose in popularity and developed a hold upon the American psyche. New Orleans citizens of French descent undoubtedly called it Poque, after the game played in France. In time, the game came to be played on the Mississippi River steamboats, where Poque was corrupted into the word'poker', the name that remains today.
At the end of the nineteenth century, another poker variant developed, known as 'stud poker'. One version of this, five-card stud, became the card game of choice during the early to mid¬twentieth century. This is the game that featured in the classic film The Cincinnati Kid.
In the 1930s, a further variation, called' seven-card stud', began to gain prominence and, along with draw poker, held sway until the late 1950s. Around this time, further alterations to the game took place, leading to the modem game of Texas Hold 'Em, which is played on Late Night Poker. Now, in the early twenty-first century, the three most popular poker variants are Texas Hold 'Em, Omaha and seven-card stud, all of which will be described in this book.
In recent years poker has turned into a television spectacle. For the past fifteen years an event called the World Series of Poker has been televised in the USA, while Late Night Poker has precipitated a considerable amount of interest in the game in the UK. British players have noticed a large influx of new players into poker since the start of the series and the majority of these newcomers say that the programmes awakened their interest in the game. One new departure of Channel4's series is the use of under-table cameras, which allow the players' hands to be observed.
Throughout the book you will read about the guidelines that have helped my co-authors and myself to understand and win at poker. However, we don't make extravagant claims or pretend that the advice we give is either definitive or comprehensive. Learning poker can be compared to learning a new language (indeed, it has a patois all of its own) and it will take you many years to learn all of the game's intricacies. There is a complete new lexicon of words and phrases to be understood and a comprehensive glossary is included to help you master these terms.
There are several ways to learn how to play poker, with the 'hard knocks of experience' being perhaps the most expensive method. More positive ways include watching and listening critically to other players (particularly good ones, although you can also learn from weaker players mistakes) as well as consulting books.