The origins of Poker continue
to be a major point of debate. Because there isn't a
direct early ancestor of the game, the current
belief is that Poker derived its present form from
elements of a variety of different card and shill
games.
Some of the earliest
references to the game come from Jonathan H. Green
dating to about 1834. Green mentions rules to a game
that was being played on Mississippi river boats at
the time. He chose to call the game Poker though
references from that era refer to a "cheating game."
The river boat game was played
with just 20 cards. Two to four players were dealt
five cards each using only the aces, kings, queens,
jacks and tens from the card deck. Green's
references indicate that poker became the number one
card game on the Mississippi boats topping that of a
game called Three-Card Monte. To the players, the
20-card poker game seemed more a legitimate game to
that of Three-Card Monte, causing the gamblers of
that era to go back time and time again.
Though references to a card
game occur, the origin of the word Poker is not
necessarily associated with the game played on the
river boats. Instead, most game historians say that
the word poker originates from an eighteenth-century
French game, poque or form a German game called
pochspiel. In that German game there is an element
of bluffing and players would indicate whether they
wanted to pass or open by saying, "Ich Poche!"
Another possible explanation
for the term poker is in reference to the underworld
slang word, "poke," a term used by pickpockets. The
speculation is that card tricksters would use the
20-card cheating game to relieve a player of his own
poke. The card sharks theoretically added an R to
make the term poker so as to not tip of their
unsuspecting marks.
Finally there many historians
who believe the term poker is a direct reference to
the phrase "hocus-pocus." The term, widely used by
magicians, again referred to the potential of
cheating and sleight of hand that was associated
with card sharks.
The game of Poker later
evolved to include 32 cards then eventually the
modern day deck of 52 cards. In the days of the Wild
West, virtually every saloon had a poker table
available and the period is associated with many
famous locations and poker playing characters. Of
course the game of today has moved from the saloon
to the casino but its popularity continues to make
it one of the most well-known games in the World
today.
In recent years the game has
grown into a true sporting event, complete with
competitions and tournaments, including many
televised events from all over the world. Big payoff
tournaments take place literally every week at some
significant venue around the world, creating a new
set of stars for the sports public.
But poker still gets its
greatest popularity from the various games played in
local living rooms or around the dining room table
on a Thursday night, when various comrades attempt
to bluff their very best buddies at the "cheating
game," taking home their prize poke of loose change.
