You play poker, you are a beginner or an experienced player, but do you only know its history, where this game comes from, its origins and its beginnings …
There seems to be some discrepancy and therefore different versions as to the exact origin of poker and it does not appear to have a direct ancestor, but rather appears to be a mixture of different games. However, everyone agrees that it is basically a very old game.
The first written reference that we find of poker dates from 1834, where Jonathan H. Green mentions in his book a game which would be played on Mississippi boats and which, given the rules, was more akin to a game of cheated. Jonathan H. Green decided to call it Poker.
This game he describes in his book is only played with 20 cards; kings, queens, jacks, tens and aces. It is played with two or four people and each player receives five cards. It seems then that Poker is a game that was developed by the professional cheaters who plagued the river boats. It is one of the versions of the origin of poker but it has the merit of having an adventure and sulfur side.
Other historians rather think that poker comes from the French game called “brelan” or “the prime” a very popular card game and played in the 16th and 17th centuries and let’s be chauvinistic this is indeed the most plausible thesis. Called later the “ambiguous” this game has a lot of resemblance to poker, there was a notion of combinations to make (the hands) a notion of setting, blind and even a part of bluff.
The game of Poker has evolved over the years, its history is rich with famous places and colorful characters. And when we talk about poker we can’t help but imagine a saloon with its poker table during the Wild West era, cowboys, cards and whiskey …
Today Poker is carefully regulated by the laws of the game, and saloons have given way to casinos and poker rooms, but Poker is played more than any other card game in the world. It has become a sporting event, with competitions and tournaments all over the world. Tournaments are held almost every week of the year somewhere in the world. And in recent years they have been broadcast on all TV channels in the world.