Poker is certainly one of the most favorite card game played today, but its fame is not recent - it is believed to have begun in the ancient Chinese world, around 969 A.D., and was called domino cards by the Emperor Mu-tsung. There have also been further reports stating that poker had been played in Egypt in the 12th & 13th Century, where they were using a form of playing cards such as “Treasure Cards” or “Ganjifa” which was used for various betting games in the 16.th century in Persia. The Persian played a game called “As Nan”, which contained 25 cards, hierarchic hand rankings and betting rounds.

Developing from a Spanish game played in the 16th century, called “Primero”, where 3 cards were dealt to each player where0 the game also involved betting high stakes, a German game called “Pochen” and a French game called “Poque” became popular in the late 17th and 18th century. As being the first confirmed card game relating to the modern poker game, “Primero” is often referred to as the mother of poker. Poque has been the national card game of France since the beginning of the 18th century, which spread quickly in the new world after French colonials arrived in Canada and settlers founded New Orleans. From the state of Louisiana up on the Mississippi this card game has spread all over the country.

The “cheating game” which played on riverboats on Mississippi, the first written reference to poker was made by Jonathan H. Green in 1834. Gamblers early embraced this “cheating game” and played on the gambling circuit the cardsharp game of three- card.

There was a poker table in every saloon of the country, from coast to coast during the Wild West period and poker became more popular during the Civil War, when soldiers of both armies were playing. The year of 1875 is supposed to be the end of European influence on poker, when the joker had been introduced as a wild card. Involving numerous variations, poker became the most popular game in the US in just over two centuries.

Three game variations have dominated the modern poker: 5 Card Draw, 7 Card Stud and maybe the most popular one, Texas Hold’em. There are other variations too, like Stud Poker or Omaha, but none of them can concur with the famous No Limit Texas Hold’em being played all over the world starting from online casino sites to the World Poker Tour and The World Series of Poker.