For those that are interested in the history of the game of poker and gambling more generally, read on for a comprehensive guide to the history of Texas Holdem and other types of poker.

The origins of poker are not at all clear cut. The earliest form of poker was described by Jonathan H.Green in 1834 as the ‘cheating game’! This game only used 20 cards (all the picture cards) and could only be played by up to four people. However, the game had become the number one ‘cheating game’ of the time. The game eventually came to involve the full deck of 52 cards, excluding the two Jokers of course.

How did the game come to be known as ‘poker’? This contentious issue has been debated ever since 1834. Some say it comes from the French game, ‘poque’, especially popular in the eighteenth century. However, one could equally attribute the name poker to the German game ‘pochspiel’ where bluffing was a key element of the game. An obvious derivation is the magician’s word, ‘hocus-pocus’ or poker’s history could even be traced back to an underworld slang word, ‘poke’ used by pickpockets!

However, although the game of poker has a dark history, played exclusively by criminals in the backrooms, it has evolved through the years and now flourishes in casinos and cardrooms around the world. It is now carefully regulated by gambling laws but the game of poker is still the most popular card game in the world! Tournaments are taking place almost every week of the year across the world, the most well-known being the World Series of Poker.

In the first ½ of the 20th century the game of poker was mostly played in three varieties. Holdem, draw and seven-card stud were the three most popular for gamblers to wager their custom poker chips. At their most popular, each of these poker game varieties had around two thirds of the poker market.

Draw has been the most popular version until the start of the 20th century when seven card stud took over. Holdem had its turn in the 70’s/80’s, mostly becoming popular due to Holdem being used as the world championship poker game and the liberalization of the US gambling laws that allowed gamblers to wager customized poker chips. For more information on other aspects of poker, such as custom poker chips, poker rules and poker tips, please see our other poker information advice pages.