Swimming with Card Sharks: the tumultuous history of Poker

To truly master a game, you first must understand it. Poker is an old game enjoyed through the years by many stone faced individuals. We're going to take a look at the history of poker, or rather, a look at what the supposed history of the game is.

The birthplace of Poker

Poker's roots are anything but clear. One school of thought claims that it stems from a sixteenth century Persian game called "As Nas." This early version of poker consisted of twenty five cards and five suits. The game closely resembled five card stud. After it was picked up by traveling Europeans (apparently French), the name changed to ‘poque.'

Another popular belief stems from talk of card games related to poker played around 12^th century Egypt. India also gets dealt a hand due to its ancient card game, "Ganjifa."

There is even a theory that the Chinese developed a form of the game around 900 A.D. This theory claims that poker developed from Chinese dominoes. This would put the birth of poker almost a thousand years previous to the As Nas.

Poker enters puberty

Poker might owe it's ancestry to Europe, Persia, India or China, but it came into it's own on American shores. As many practices looked down upon by upper society, poker was developed into its modern form in the mainly French New Orleans. This was back in pre-civil war times, and the game quickly spread to neighboring towns and cities. The game was very popular with the existing populace, which was mostly made up of adventurers and speculators, still claiming and exploring America. A game of chances and risks was perfect for their mind set.

Back then, there were two camps of gamblers; the first being the gentleman player, and the second being the professional gambler. Society looked kindly on the gentleman poker player, who indulged in the game of poker moderately. This type of player was considered respectable. On the other side of the fence, you have the professional. These men played only for profit. They cared not for modesty, but rather for money. This camp is where the ‘card shark' emerged from.

The professional poker players had a rather undesirable trait that led to the gradual degradation of the game in the eyes. They cared not for who they played against. Playing purely for profit, these men preyed on the wealthy as well as the poor. Anyone was a meal ticket for these vultures. But hey, from a vulture's point of view, it's just business.

Many professional poker players employed tricks and cheats to swindle ‘respectable' men out of their money. They would play against a respected gentleman, a traveling merchant, the barbershop sweep boy, or even a slave. This led to the eventual homogenization of the poker world. In short, it became a sport that all manner of men were accustomed to.

During its early life, poker was played with one round of betting. As you might imagine, this wasn't very profitable for the professional, so the rules were gradually changed. Soon, there were bluffs, wild cards and draws. The draw allowed the professional an extra round in which to attempt to trick and swindle his opponent. If you wanted to look at it from a more lofty perspective, you could consider that the extra round brought with it also a new level of tact and difficulty, allowing a player to more greatly show his skill.

Exile to the Mississippi 

Poker retained its notoriety and popularity well through the early 1800's. Around 1830, however, as the wild frontier culture was being replaced with the more proper ‘southern' culture, it began to fall from favor. Many towns passed ordinances banning the practice of gambling, and kicked professionals out of town.

Unwelcome on land, the professional moved to the next logical place, the river boat. Now, getting your roulette wheel onto a riverboat isn't the easiest thing to do, so the more elaborate forms of gambling were abandoned by many, opening the door for poker.

It's in this time period that we find one of the earliest mentions of the game. The writer, Jonathan H. Green wrote about the "cheating game," he had played on a Mississippi riverboat. Upon realizing that he was the first to write about this nameless game, he dubbed it ‘Poker.' At the time, poker was the number one ‘cheating game' played on the rivers, out ranking even three card monte.

A Golden Opportunity 

After her years in hiding, opportunity knocked for lady poker. This knock came in the form of the California Gold Rush. The influx of men hoping to strike it rich fit perfectly with games of chance, and sanctioned gambling houses to be built. Poker, being a slower, more tactical game, was not popular at first with the fast paced gold rushers. But after the rush wore off, and the frenzy's hold on people diminished, the public was left susceptible to slower, more methodical games.

Over the years, poker has become a staple in both households and casinos. The game has even championed television shows, tours and tournaments. For more information regarding poker tournaments and poker merchandise, visit http://www.dead-money.biz

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