The Evolution of Poker in America
The history of Poker in America spans no more than 200 years, yet throughout that period it has been transformed and changed in ways that altered the world plays the game. For those used to playing online, studying its early history can be quite absorbing.
Poker, or its European variations, appeared in America in the late 1700s along with the arrival of other casino games that were brought in by the new settlers. However, it was the rise of the steamships in the Mississippi that would prove to be a catalyst. Catering to the demands of the gamblers, all sorts of card games were played in the floating saloon.
The history of Poker in America is usually traced back officially to Jonathan Green's Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (1844). Here the word Poker is mentioned for the first time. It is described as a game of 20 cards, consisting of the royal suits and the tens.
The combinations included a pair, two pairs threes and four of a kind. The highest hand was the four aces. Although Green maintained that the game was being played as early as the 1830s, it was already facing competition from the 52 card pack.
By the 1840s, the 52 pack would become the standard in America and eventually in Europe as well. At this time, the other combinations like the flush were introduced. Other innovations that change the history of Poker in America was the adaptation of more betting rounds and the concept of the drawing of cards. By 1850, Draw Poker had entered the vocabulary.
Following the Civil War, innovation and new concepts came in quickly. These included Stud Poker, first mentioned in 1864; there was also the inclusion of the straight and the decision to replace the invincible four aces with the royal flush as the top hand.
Sometime in 1919, a Poker variant introduced the concept of laying down a card on the table before the final hand was dealt, the stipulation being that the player must use that card in combination with what he is holding. This would prove popular and eventually the "shared" cards were increased, paving the way for shared card games.
The game in the 1920s saw the rise in popularity of hi/lo and lowball games, both of which still have solid followings. Today new concepts and ideas about how to play Poker continue to appear online.
This only goes to show that the final chapter in the history of Poker in America has yet to be written. In fact, with the rise of Internet gaming, a new beginning is likely to have commenced already.
