Poker is
a popular card game which has become increasingly known
for its high-stakes betting and has been popularized
through extensive television and media coverage of the
World Series of Poker, held each year in Las Vegas
It is believed
that the modern version of poker originated by the early
or mid-1700's, and spread throughout the Mississippi
River region by 1800. The game is played in a variety of
forms, with 52 cards, and includes both straight poker
and stud poker. The development and growing popularity of
poker is linked to the the invention of commercial
gambling. As casinos and legalized gambling grew in
acceptance and popularity in the United States, so to did
the game of poker, with its attendant betting and
wagering, gain increased acceptance. One example of how
popular poker playing online has become internationally
can be found at a site like real
money poker sites by
Netbet.org.
Poker is no longer an exclusively American pastime
anymore.
An English
actor, Joseph Crowell, reported in his memoirs of a game
played in New Orleans in 1829, involving a deck of 20
cards, with four players betting on which player's hand
was most valuable, 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. The draw was added prior to 1850
(when it was first mentioned in print in a handbook of
games). During the American Civil War, many additions
were made including 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).
Now, in the
21st Century, poker has become a world-wide phenomenon.
Evidence of this is seen in the growth and popularity of
the World Series of Poker, which is always held in one of
the best
U.S. casinos
in Las Vegas every year.
Peter Eastgate Losing a
Hand at WSOP 2009
Further
evidence of that phenomenon is the increase in online
casinos, where, for example, the United Kingdom has more
than a thousand casinos listed in reviews websites such
as www.newcasinosonline.co.
We are now in a
new era in the history of card games such as poker and
blackjack. These games that could previously only be
played with physical cards are now available to be played
on computers, mobile phones and tablets. Literally
anywhere and from any device. Online casinos and mobile
casinos are just one of the exciting developments in the
ever-changing history of cards. Come read up on your
favourite card game’s history at www.onlinecasinos.co.uk
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 poker chips are down, wild card, and others are
used in everyday conversation, even by those unaware of
their origins at the poker table.
Poker is one of
the most popular games of chance in the United States.
Below is a very interesting infographic that outlines the
history of gambling in America.
Poker players
around the world are constantly looking for new
opportunities to ply their skills at online poker games,
and PokerStars
Download
is a great place to start this search for a great game of
poker. This poker forum has poker news, poker training,
and poker-related training.
PokerStars
Bonus Code
is another quality spot to check out for hot poker
action, as this site has the biggest online poker room
available today, with easy-to-follow registration
instructions and the ability to play poker in a safe and
reliable online environment.
