Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Poker Has Been Around For Centuries

By Mr. Casino Bonus

Poker has been played for centuries. It is claimed to be the oldest game that has lasted through the ages. It has evolved and will remain for centuries more.

There are three claimed origins of poker. The Persian game of as nas, German pochspiel, and French poque are the sources most historians allege were the basis of modern day poker. Poker's name derives from the French poque.

Historians have been debating the origins of poker from decades. No one really knows from where poker exactly originated. However, none of them argue that poker is a fabulously entertaining game.

In the United States, poker became popular during the Revolutionary War. The version of stud that used only three cards was the game of choice for soldiers. The five-card version became useful distraction during the Civil War.

Dealt the entire amount of a 20-card deck, five-card poker began as a game for four people. The lower cards of a normal 52-card deck were eliminated in this version. Out of the four players the object was to bet on the person with the best hand.

The game became more complicated once the game included all of the cards in a 52-card deck. The game also gained more popularity with the lower cards involved. Further than just a simple game between soldiers trying to forget where they were, this brought poker new popularity.

It is also believed that poker got its start in New Orleans during the early 1800's. Then the game expanded up the Mississippi river through riverboats. Gambling has continued to this day on the Mississippi on riverboat casinos.

It is believed that the gold miners brought poker through the west into California. As it traveled through the west, casinos and saloons picked it up as daily sport. This institutionalized poker as a "wild west" staple.

Seven-card stud is the most popular version of poker played in modern days. Las Vegas casinos made it famous in recent years. Specially made for the seven-card game called Texas Hold'em, tournaments and tables have been put to good use.

Still played today in many casinos and online, the many different versions developed through the years. The three card version is the only type that did not make it through evolution. It is lost in the past now.

Of the many things that have tested the tribulations of time, poker is the most exciting. Due to its durability and addictiveness, poker has lasted thus far. While some things remain a fad that has faded, poker will last as it is for another couple of centuries.

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