History of Poker

Poker is the most enduring card game of them all. It’s played online, in casinos, in homes, garages – wherever you have people and a set of cards you’ll find poker being played. But where did it all start? Well the truth is that there is no consensus on the exactly where poker first originated. It is said that there were games similar to poker being played by the Chinese way back in the 10th century although obviously it’s hard to clarify this. There have been numerous accounts from around the world of games similar to poker being played for centuries. What is known is that the modern game of poker can be traced back to 16th century Spain.

The Spanish game ‘Primero’ is known as the mother of modern-day poker as it has direct similarities to the modern game such as bluffing in spite of having a poor set of cards. Since that time the game has been adopted and adapted by many cultures. It has been extremely popular in the United States from the 20th century onwards and in particularly since the 1970s. This is when the World Series of Poker was started and the best players from around the world would compete with each other. The World Series is now televised and watched by millions of people. This combined with online poker means that the game of poker today is now more popular than it’s ever been.

Types of Poker

There are quite a few types of poker that are played around the world but here I’ll focus on the three most popular – Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha and 5-Card Draw.

• Texas Hold ‘Em – This is easily the most popular form of poker. The reason is for this is that it’s pretty simple to learn but incredibly difficult to master. This means that players of all skill levels can play against each other and understand the rules. The way Texas Hold’ Em is played is that each player will be deal two cards, then a round of betting takes place after which 3 community cards are placed in the middle of the table – this is called the flop. Next is another round of betting followed by a fourth community card – the turn, being place in the middle of the table. After one more round of betting the final community card is revealed, this is called the river. Any players that are still in the game must reveal their hands. The strongest hand wins the money in the pot
• Omaha – Omaha, or Omaha Hold’Em is quite similar to Texas Hold ‘Em but with a few key differences. The betting works in the same way as Texas Hold ‘Em but instead of players initially being dealt only 2 cards they are dealt 4. This changes the way the game is played more than you’d think. Players must use at lease two of these four cards to make their hand of five. This can prove difficult for newcomers to poker as it gives them more decisions to contemplate.
• 5-Card Draw – Whilst not quite as popular as Texas Hold ‘Em or Omaha, 5-Card Draw is still an extremely popular variant of the game. It’s an incredibly simple type of poker and therefore appeals to beginners. Before any cards are dealt each player must make a small bet so the game can get started. Then each player is dealt 5 cards and the first round of betting begins. After the first round of betting is complete, each player can then swap up to three of the cards with the community deck to try and make a better hand. Then another round of betting commences, after which all the players must reveal their hands, with the strongest hand winning.

How to Play Poker

In the last section are covered the specifics of how the three most popular variants of poker are played. Here I’ll explain the betting terminology used in poker as it’s extremely important to understand if you want to be successful. The four most common betting terms you’ll encounter in poker are -

• Check – This means to decline your turn and pass it on to the next player.
• Call – To ‘call’ means that you’ll match the previous player’s bet
• Raise – Raising means you will place a higher bet than the previous player
• Fold – This means that you give up and forfeit the amount of money you’ve placed in the pot.