Poker is one of the most popular casino table games nowadays. However, this casino game does not belong to the ones that have blown up recently. Today, poker is played everywhere starting from land-based casinos and ending with various online casino websites. There are even worldwide World Series of Poker tournaments, which highlights the popularity of the game. That is why information about when was poker invented would be pretty interesting for poker lovers.
Origins of Poker
It is believed that poker originates from the French game “Poque” which was played with 52 card decks in the 1400s. Besides, the two games have quite similar names. Historians suppose that game started to spread rapidly when French colonists came to North America.
Since poker settled in North America, it started to spread and became more and more popular. In the 1700s, residents knew poker as riverboat gambling in Mississippi and boarding areas. The common aspects of poker like bluffing, and betting appeared in the early 1800s. Poker started spreading to other countries when the rules of poker games were written for the first time. Jacob Schenck sent the rules of poker games to England around 1872.
At the start of the 1900s, poker players could be found in any saloon in America. Playing poker was a great chance to resolve the conflicts more peacefully without starting gunfights.иPoker has also been spreading fast during the Civil War. Soldiers liked to spend time playing poker in the camps, and that’s when lots of people learned about poker. People were especially interested in playing poker because the game was played with real money at the start.
Turning Points in the Development of Poker
The 20th century became the turning point in the history of poker. Firstly, women also started to gamble, which was quite revolutionary back then. In the 20th century, new variations of the game appeared and were played with different approaches. Poker was not considered an outlaw game anymore and became an important part of American culture. The birth of Texas Holdem had a big impact on the game and helped it grow. As you can guess, the game derives from Texas.
New poker communities appeared every day and drew the attention of the public to the poker game.
World Series Of Poker
The breaking point happened in the 1970s with the first global poker tournament — the World Series of Poker. The WSOP took place in Las Vegas, however, it didn’t engage thousands of poker lovers. Gamblers could participate in WSOP only by invitation, but this tendency changed with the years.
The Work Series of Poker was broadcasted on TV in 1973 for the first time. This way the game became famous among different strata of the population. Since then, poker started to broadcast more often, and people get used to the game. The legalization of Texas Holdem in 1980 in California became the second breaking point in the development of poker games. Gamblers could enjoy playing poker across the city in various poker rooms. That is why all people who were interested could easily be engaged in the game.
The History of the Online Poker
Since computers began to appear in every house, with the development of the Internet many services went online. Thus, the popular poker game has also been developed in an online version. In 1998 the first online poker room appeared. Unfortunately, people could not get the best gambling experience through the web back then because of the slow internet, however, the practice was still widespread. This way, people started playing poker online and offline. Nowadays, there are thousands of online casinos with live dealers, where people who cannot visit land-based casinos, have a chance to dive into the atmosphere of the real poker game. Besides, there are lots of poker variations and betting options.
Final Words
The answer to the question of when was poker invented is quite broad and requires a detailed explanation. Every stage of poker development had a significant impact on the modern poker game. The short answer to the question is 1400s years based on the French game “Poque”. Since then, poker has started a long journey that made the game what it looks like now.