It is rather a challenge to write down any sort of comprehensive history of poker because the term refers not to a single game but to an entire family of games. Of course, a detailed history of all these variants would be meandering and voluminous. This article aims to sketch the main currents in the growth and development of poker.
Many experts on the game trace its history to the 1500’s. At this time, the game was popular in England and Spain, where it was called “primero” and “primera,” respectively. The variety of “good” hands was much smaller in those days. Payers concentrated on getting three cards of the same value, three of the same suit, or pairs.
The game gradually evolved so that, two centuries later, some aspects of it “infiltrated” other games. These primero-influenced games were found in France (as Poque), England (as Brag), and Germany (as Pochen). Interestingly, the word “Pochen” means “to bluff.” Clearly, the aspects of drama and deception in these games were a large part of their appeal.
During this time, French people who crossed the Atlantic Ocean into what is now Louisiana brought poker to the New World. American pronunciation being what it is, the word “Poque” soon became “poker.” The Mississippi River was instrumental in the spread of the game out of Louisiana, as people who traveled up it taught it to others. Poker also rode in the wagons or on the horses next to pioneers who went to the West.
The 19th century also saw the institutionalization of poker. Books about card games finally recognized poker as a worthy subject. Also, a high-level American diplomat in Great Britain named Robert C. Schenk popularized the “modern” version of poker among Queen Victoria’s courtiers. Schenk is also credited with being the first person to write a book all about poker. Of course, Schenk’s book has been supplanted by other works as “the” book on poker. If you would like to find the source of the game’s official rules (i.e. the rules used in most formal casinos and tournaments) you will find that he authorities are split between two sources, both form the 1840’s. One was written by Oswald Jacoby. The other, from five years later, would be the section on poker in Official Rules of Card Games, which was released by the United States Playing Card Company.
Now, a note on the role of gender throughout the history of poker. Traditionally, the game was considered off-limits to women until the middle decades of the last century. Even now, women may still be considered a somewhat marginal force in the world of poker.
At present, most poker games can be divided into two major categories. One, called Draw Poker, includes games where dealers give out cards facing downwards, and players are allowed to try to make better hands by discarding some cards and drawing new ones from the deck. The other category is called Stud Poker, in which a few of the cards are dealt face-down and the rest are shown. Players are given five or seven cards, depending on the variant. Draw Poker has proven fertile ground for a recent online poker trend, which is the development of new varieties of Jacks or Better. Differences between variants are usually very small and superficial, having to do with bonuses and wild cards.
It will be exciting to see how the various games within the poker family continue to branch out and evolve