The history of poker is as full of legends as the game itself. There are plenty of competing theories, so we went through them all to build one guide that covers the lot.
Poker is the world’s most popular card game today, and although nobody knows exactly where it was born, one thing is obvious: poker is a melting pot, borrowing from many different games, cultures and eras. Its story stretches across centuries and runs through the colonization of America, the Old West, the Civil War, the First World War and the rise of online poker.
As-Nas
Most historians agree that a Persian card game called As-Nas is one of the most likely ancestors of poker.
As-Nas was both the name of the game and the name of the deck used to play it. The name means “aces and mankind”, referring to the ace cards and the different face cards in the deck.
The face cards showed figures such as a king, lady, soldier and dancing girl, while the aces often showed a dragon or lion. The deck usually had 20 or 25 cards.
Each player was dealt five cards and there were no community cards. The hand rankings looked familiar, but without straights and flushes. The game also included betting, calling, raising, folding and bluffing.
As-Nas certainly seems like a very likely ancestor to poker. It introduced elements like betting, bluffing and early versions of the hand ranks we still use today.
There is also no denying that it helped shape the deck of cards we use today, with its aces and face cards. But later card games would keep pushing the game closer to the poker we recognize now.
The European Ancestors
Like much of the American population, poker also seems to have clear roots in Europe.
Back in the 16th century, a card game called primero became wildly popular in Spain and Italy. It dealt three cards to each player and put a heavy emphasis on bluffing, which is the thread running through everything that follows.
Primero was later adapted by the Germans, who called their version pochen, and by the French, who called it poque. The Irish had a version called poca and the British developed a game called brag.
The French version, poque, mattered most to poker history. French colonists carried it across the Atlantic to their settlements in North America, where it took hold in and around New Orleans in the 18th century. If you just want the highlights, we’ve collected six poker facts including where the name came from.
Early History of Poker in America
Once in North America, poque was anglicised and quickly branched into different versions. Around this time stud poker appeared. Stud is still played today, though it sits well behind Texas Hold’em and Omaha in popularity.
This version of poker became popular among riverboat crews transporting goods up and down the Mississippi River. That helped the game spread across the country.
It is also believed that this is where the poker term “river card” comes from. According to the story, cheaters on riverboats would sometimes deal a final community card to improve their own hand. If they were caught, they might be thrown overboard, so the final card became the river card.
Early versions of casinos, called gambling houses, started appearing along the riverbanks. These places attracted people chasing money, risk and a little trouble.
The same kind of people were later drawn west by the gold rush, and poker followed them. It became hugely popular in Western saloons and remains one of the most recognizable elements of Old West mythology.
Soldiers Spreading Poker
When the Civil War broke out in April of 1861, many men were called to arms. As both sides gathered in their respective camps, a lot of them brought poker with them from the West.
The game quickly became a popular pastime between fights. Since it was played by both sides, many soldiers were introduced to poker during the war, and the game stuck with them when they returned home.
Soldiers at war also seem to be what brought poker back to Europe after it had matured across the Atlantic. When American soldiers arrived in Europe during World War 1, poker became a way to socialize between battles and quickly caught on among the Allies.
History of Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is generally believed to have started in Robstown, Texas in the early 1900s. It stayed a regional game before finding its way to Las Vegas and becoming the version most people picture when they hear the word poker – the same format our guides to the poker rules and poker hands cover today.
The big break came in 1969, when the now-demolished Dunes Casino on the Las Vegas Strip hosted a Texas Hold’em tournament that caught the attention of major players.
It also caught the attention of Benny Binion, one of the most influential figures in Las Vegas gambling history. He and his son Jack started the World Series of Poker and made Hold’em – now called Texas Hold’em because of its roots – the centerpiece of the event. Among the players who defined those early years was Doyle Brunson, who won the Main Event back to back in 1976 and 1977.
The WSOP helped solidify Texas Hold’em as the most popular poker format, ahead of Five-Card Draw and Seven-Card Stud. When Texas Hold’em was legalized in California in 1980, the game saw another major boom.
Chris Moneymaker and the Poker Boom
Years later, the WSOP became a household name when Chris Moneymaker, a complete amateur, beat the pros and won the 2003 Main Event.
Moneymaker qualified through an online satellite and went on to take home the grand prize of $2,500,000. His win made poker feel possible for everyone, and it helped launch the online poker boom.
Today, the word poker is largely synonymous with Texas Hold’em. Pop culture even gets the timeline wrong because of it. In Red Dead Redemption, for example, players can sit down in Old West saloons and play Texas Hold’em, even though that format was not popular, or even invented, at that time.
You have to give people what they want, right?
Make Your Mark on the History of Poker
Now that you’re up to speed on the history of poker, you should casually share it with your friends – ideally over a game of poker. If so, consider downloading the free EasyPoker app, a digital version of a physical poker set that gives you and your friends endless cards and chips for nothing.
It’s available for both Android and iPhone. Create a private table, share the 4-digit game PIN, and the app takes care of the cards, chips and dealing so all you have to do is play. Texas Hold’em is free and unlimited. For games with 4 or more players, the host needs EasyPoker Plus. And who knows – maybe one day we’ll have to add a segment about you to the history of poker.
Add to the Story
Here at EasyPoker, we are always eager to hear from our community. If you have something to add to this story, or a specific element of poker history you would like us to touch on, please reach out to us.
Thank you, and have a great day.
History of Poker FAQ
Where did poker originate?
Poker does not have one certain origin. Historians often point to the Persian game As-Nas, European games like primero, pochen and poque, and the later development of poker in North America.
When did Texas Hold’em begin?
Texas Hold’em is generally traced back to Robstown, Texas in the early 1900s. It became famous through Las Vegas, the World Series of Poker and later the online poker boom.
Why was Chris Moneymaker important to poker history?
Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP Main Event after qualifying online. His win helped convince a new generation that anyone could learn poker and compete, which fueled the online poker boom.
Can you play historic poker variants in EasyPoker?
EasyPoker focuses on modern private poker games with friends. It supports Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Short Deck and Reverse Hold’em, rather than historic games like As-Nas or poque.
