Section I: A Brief History of Poker

Many historians and experts have various ideas as to the origin of poker. The only thing we can be sure of is that poker's present day form was derived from many different games. Since its beginning, poker has gone through many changes. Many speculate, though, that the game has been around for many centuries. The most popular belief is that poker was invented around 900 A.D. by the Chinese. Another very popular theory is that poker originated in France, modeled after the French card game "Poque". The French brought poque to New Orleans when they settled there in 1480. We can be sure that, because of its unique and complicated basic principles, poker's birth was an odd one.

The history of poker in the United States has a bit more consistency. Poker was spread by steamboat up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers at first, and later traveled by wagon and train around the rest of the country. One of the earliest written references to poker was made by Jonathan H. Green in 1834. Green described the rules of a game in his writing that was played on Mississippi riverboats that he referred to as "the cheating game". He soon realized that this game was not included in the most recent American Hoyle and took it upon himself to name the game poker.

In 1910 it was made illegal in Nevada to facilitate any type of betting game. Soon after, the Attorney General of California declared that stud poker was illegal, but also decided that draw poker was legal because it relied heavily upon skill, and therefore was not based upon luck. Because of these decisions, draw poker games began to develop quickly and grow in popularity.

Although there is a plethora of theories dealing with poker's origin, there is one definite fact about the game. Poker has stood the test of time, and remains one of the few pastimes that is shared by people from all walks of life and is still growing in popularity. In the US, poker has evolved from a game played by drifters and riverboat passengers into a full fledged sporting event. This progression has taken place in many locations, from backrooms to glittering casinos around the world. Its history has been rich with famous places and characters. Today, poker is carefully regulated by strict gambling laws, and saloons have given way to cardrooms and casinos, but poker is being played more than any other card game in the world.

Poker will be around for a long time to come, and will evolve and flourish like so many other pastimes. No matter where you live, if you take the time to look, you will find games to play, friends to be made, and money to win.