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GLIMPSE ON POKER HISTORY
Oddly to say that the game, which for some period of time was the national American card-game, came to the United States long after it had appeared. Nobody knows exactly the origin of the word “Poker”. Some say it may even have derived come the Hindu word, pukka. Others associate it with the expression “hocus-pocus” widely used by illusionists.
But the most believable version in our opinion refers to French word “Poque” and German “Pochen”. These two are the card games, which were popular in Europe in the 18th century. But the first ancestors of the popular boodle can be found a lot earlier. The first references to the card game which can be regarded as “poker’s mother” date back to 1526. It was the Spanish game “primero” or it’s French variant “La Prime”. In those times only three cards could be dealt to each player and there were only three estimated combinations. By 1700 the above-mentioned poq and pochen became very popular. Bluff, or making higher stakes granting poor cards to deceive opponents, was already essential part of the game.
And later French colonists imported the game to North America. It spread from the state of Louisiana up the Mississippi river and then among the whole country. In 1834, Jonathan H. Green made one of the earliest written references to the card game named poker. In his writing, Green mentions rules to what he called the "cheating game," which was then being played on Mississippi riverboats. There is a mention of poker in the 1858 card games digest. But poker is described as an old and well-known game there. During the Wild West period of United States history, a saloon with a Poker table could be found in just about every town from coast to coast. It was extremely popular during the Civil War when the soldiers of both armies had poker battles, which sometimes were even greater than the real ones.
In those dishonest for the game times the game was already forgotten in Europe. The US Ambassador in Great Britain colonel Jacob Shank tried to amend the situation. He made the set of rules for Queen Victoria who expressed interest in the game. This was the first work fully devoted poker. Nevertheless poker being introduced only to Victoria’s court didn’t spread among Europe. It became popular again only during the First World War with the help of American task forces.
Today, poker is carefully regulated by gambling laws, and saloons have given way to casinos and cardrooms. It is played more than any other card game in the world. It has grown into a sporting event, with competitions and tournaments all around the world. Tournaments take place almost every week of the year somewhere in the world. The pinnacle of the poker world, The World Series of Poker, attracts players from all over the world every year to compete for money and titles as the world's top poker players.
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