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HISTORY OF POKER
Poker
Poker is a game of strategy, guts, patience, luck and much more. Almost anyone
can learn the rules of Poker in 5 minutes but it would take a lifetime for most
to master the game of poker. It is not enough to simply know the rules of Poker,
you have to be able to strategize, be able to read your opponents and find their
“tells”, know when to bet and when to fold or raise and when to just cash in
your poker chips and walk away. Of course being the luckiest person on the
planet would not hurt your Poker game either.
Poker is not simply a man's game, it is rather a unisex game and many women
excel in Poker as good as the men do. There are many women in the professional
poker tournaments and they are able to keep up and surpass their male
counterparts.
Different Poker games
There are more than 130 variations of Poker games so there is always a game to
suit anybody's taste. The most popular games are:
Texas Hold'em Poker
Five Card Stud Poker
Seven Card Stud Poker
Omaha 8 Poker
Caribbean Stud Poker
History of Poker
Nobody is certain about the exact origins of Poker. Some argue that it started
sometime in the 16th century in Persia with a game not too different from
today's 5 card stud Poker. The original Persian name for the game is unknown but
when Poker was adopted and modified by Europeans it received names such as Brag
(English), Poque (French) & Pochen (German). Some argue that the modern name
of Poker was derived from the French game of Poque and some argue that it game
from the German game Pochen and then there are those that insist it came from
the Hindu name of Pukka. While the exact origins of both the game and name of
Poker are not known it is certain that the modern day game of Poker was created
in the United States in the 1800's. The game was introduced to French settlers
in New Orleans around 1730 by Persian sailors as a three card game and the first
references to the modern 5 card Poker games dates back to 1829 as a game played
on steamboats.
The game spread to other cities by river boats and eventually with the advance
of railroads and the help of wagons it spread to the rest of the country.
Dead Man's Hand
James Butler Hickock, better known as Wild Bill Hickock, was shot dead in a
saloon in the city of Deadwood in the Dakota territory. He was seated at his
usual table playing Poker while Jack McCall walked in and shot him in the back
of his head. Since Wild Bill was a famous lawman and entertainer in his time the
news of his death spread fast and so did the last Poker hand that he was
holding. At the time he was shot he was holding two pair black aces and two pair
black eights which became known as “Dead Man's Hand” of Poker. The fifth
card that he was holding is not known for certain.