Poker and Variations of

Poker's Origins

The origins of Poker are, admittedly, quite difficult to trace. Some historians claim that a crude version of Poker was being played in Asia as early as the 10th century ce., while others point to the 15th-century German [Page 565]game Pochen (or Pochspiel) as an obvious precursor. Up until recently, several observers have argued that Poker was derived from As Nás, a popular 17th-century Persian game, while others have noted the similarity of Poker to two English card games, Primero and Brag. Though its ultimate origins are somewhat muddled, most historians concede that that the modern version of the game evolved in the United States and was derived from Poque, a French card game brought to the port city of New Orleans during the early 19th century by itinerant traders and seamen. Soon thereafter its name was changed to pokah (and eventually Poker, because of the heavy drawl of its predominantly southern fan base). In the coming decades, steamboats, making regular runs up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, would spread Poker to all corners of the Republic, including the urban centers of the northeast and Midwest, and the newly opened lands of the American West.

Evolution of the Game

Poker would undergo a number of important changes during the last half of the 19th century, as the game became more complex and more varied. By the 1850s, for example, the 20-card deck that had been in use since the early 1800s was abandoned in favor of a 52-card version, while the flush, a hand consisting of five cards of all the same suit, was recognized by Poker players of all stripes as a legitimate addition to the hand hierarchy. During the American Civil War, stud and draw games were invented, thus increasing the rounds of betting in a typical Poker game, while the straight (five cards of sequential rank in more than one suit) was also added to ever-expanding list of winning Poker hands.

The development of draw games was especially important because five card draw would eventually become the most commonly played variation during the late 19th and early 20th century. This was because of both the simplicity of the game, as well as legal circumstances. In 1891, for example, California banned all forms of gambling except draw games. Legislators rationalized their decision by pointing out that Draw Poker, because players had to drop cards during the course of play, was a game of skill rather than a game of chance. While stud and other variations of Poker were saddled with an aura of criminality, Draw Poker flourished in card rooms, casinos, and private homes throughout certain parts of the United States.

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