Poker has changed the world

Poker has long gone from being a simple card game to a true sport. It has its own champions, fans, sponsors and the biggest tournaments attract the best players who want to compete for the top prize. So what’s the reason behind the popularity of poker? The fact is that gambling emotions have been familiar to people since ancient times. This is also when the history of poker began. Although the modern look of the game acquired relatively recently.

In fact, it is rather difficult to say exactly when poker was born. Scientists are only making guesses and comparing the modern game with similar entertainments existing many years ago. As such, poker is believed to have first emerged in China in the 10th century. However, there are theories of the card game’s ancient Egyptian and Persian origins.

Additionally, some have named France, Germany and even Ireland as the birthplace of poker. Such conclusions are made only on the basis of the fact that all of these countries had games with relatively similar names.

It is therefore impossible to guarantee where poker originated. After all, its rules have changed constantly and it’s almost impossible to tell what it was like a few hundred years ago. This becomes the main problem with determining the home of the game.

The gold rush times

Poker with modern poker rules originated in the 18th century in the United States. However, there were no specific requirements at the time. Often 20 cards were played if there were not enough participants. When the Gold Rush started in America, poker became a major pastime. A little later, a deck of 52 cards was used and a new combination – the flush – was introduced.

Generally speaking, the wars contributed significantly to the development of poker. First the colonists brought the basics of the game to the new continent. Then, during World War I, the Americans introduced Europeans to their poker rules. At that time there were several varieties of the game. However, the now-famous Hold’em became popular only in the 1950s.

The birth of the World Series

And the most interesting changes began in the 70s. That’s when the first computer mouse was introduced, the first microprocessor, and the largest poker tournament that became known as the World Series of Poker was organized.

The World Series became the most popular tournament, attracting all the great players every year. It was at this championship that many poker players became famous, whose names are known to all poker enthusiasts. All this led to a rapid development and popularisation of the game. The first books describing poker strategies were published and the game became a part of the modern culture.

A succession of failures

But don’t assume that all the history of poker’s development has been uneventful. There have been plenty of problems and the first serious blow came in 2006. That’s when a new gambling bill came into force. Because of this, Party Poker, the industry leader, was forced to withdraw from the American market. However, it was replaced by other players, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars.

Five years passed and the next blow was struck. This time it was Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, which had to shut down. This was due to allegations of fraud. As a result, players lost serious amounts of money.

After that, there was some decline in the popularity of poker. Playing in land-based venues in the U.S. no longer attracted as many players. In Asia, too, the authorities have become stricter on this form of gambling. But in Africa and some other countries, poker experienced a renaissance. Here its popularity has begun to gain dramatic momentum. And it is safe to say that new tournaments and famous players will appear in these regions.