The Origins of poker

Poker is fast becoming the number one most popular game in the world. Already established as far and away the most popular card game, it's now taking over as the number one game of any kind globally.

The origins of poker are shrouded in mystery, no one seems to know when or where it was first played. There are of course many theories, the most popular of which are that it was invented by the Chinese around a thousand years ago or originated in Persia as a descendant of the game As Nas. Nobody seems to know for sure and unless there’s a major archaeological find with players frozen solid in the act of playing, the answer is destined to remain a mystery forever.

The game in it’s recognizable form of today first came to the fore in New Orleans so we can probably attribute the modern day game to America.

Even the word Poker itself has no definite roots but is thought to have been made up by a writer called Jonathan H Green in the 1830s who commented on the “gambling game” he had observed.

Now played by millions of people every day both in online poker and in poker home games, many millions of dollars change hands in the process. There have been many millionaires created by the game, but unfortunately there have also been many who have lost everything.

It’s just a game on one level, but at the same time has the power to make people or break them. It can grab hold of a player and compel them to keep playing and can be very addictive, responsible play is the key at all times.