Interesting Facts You Never Knew About Poker

By  //  November 23, 2020

Poker is one of the most popular card games in the world today. The delicate balance of skill, timing and luck all play a crucial role in being successful at the game. Poker has been around for over 200 years, and can now be enjoyed online, as well as in a brick-and-mortar setting. 

The rules have evolved over the years into the game we now all know and love, but there are some interesting facts that you may not know about it. Read on to be surprised and whet your appetite for the game that’s loved by people from all across the globe.

#1: Poker evolved from dominoes

The game of Poker is thought to have been based on the popular game of dominoes. Dating back to around 969 A.D. it is thought that Emperor Mu-Tsung played domino cards with his wife, and that evolved into the Poker we all know today. What’s more, it is also thought that even back then, bluffing was an integral part of the game.

#2 Poker originated from the USA

The name Texas Hold em’ is a dead giveaway in regards to the origin of the game. Specifically, in Louisiana, New Orleans historians confirmed that the game was birthed and developed there. It is not possible to trace down the exact location of where the first hand of Poker was played, but this is about as close as we are able to get!

#3 Longest game of poker – eight and a half years

In Arizona, the Bird Cage Theatre was the venue that hosted the longest-running game of Poker which began in 1881. The minimum buy-in was $1000 and according to sources at the Bird Cage Theatre, the players were all well-known Wild West personalities and officials.

The game lasted a momentous eight years, five months and three days before it was settled and a winner was finally crowned!

#4 From Nuggets to Poker chips

During its early stages, Poker was played for gold nuggets, gold coins and sometimes even gold dust. Unlike the game today, it was difficult to standardize units of value, which made the game difficult to play fairly.

Gaming houses and saloons began springing up everywhere, and they came up with the idea to use Poker chips, that would be representative of specific monetary values. These chips could be exchanged for real money at the gaming houses, just like how it works in casinos nowadays.

#5 Poker was played with just 20 cards

The version of Poker that we enjoy today is typically played with a full 52 card deck. But, that wasn’t always the case in the early days. Back then, Poker was played with deck of 20 cards between four players.

Each player was dealt five cards, and the betting would begin on whoever thought they had the best hand. It is thought by historians, the use of a full 52 deck of cards was implemented from the year 1834 onwards into the game we know today.