The history of poker is a very complicated one. From almost 1000 years A.D. until today the game has continued to evolve. The game of poker has grown out of various other games that all involved ranking cards or domino combinations as well as the use of the 'bluff' to fool opponents.

One very popular opinion about the origin of poker dates back to 969 A.D. China when Emperor Mu-tsung played 'domino cards' with his wife on New Years Eve.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Egyptians were known to use a form of playing cards and in during the 16th century in Persia, 'Ganjifa' or 'Treasure Cards' were being used for several different betting games. The deck of cards used to play Ganjifa consisted of 96 cards that were elaborately decorated and most often were made of precious wood or thin slices of ivory. The Persians would play 'AsNas', which was a game that used 25 cards, saw several rounds of betting and winning hands were determined by a heirarchical hand ranking.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the French game 'Poque' and the German game 'Pochen' became popular. Both of those games grew out of the Spanish game 'Primero' played during the 16th century that consisted of three cards dealt to each player. The act of bluffing, betting heavily with poor cards in hand to trick your competition, was an important part of that game. Primero, often reffered to as 'poker's mother', dates back to 1526, as is the first known version of a card game directly relavant to the modern game of poker.

As French colonists settled in Canada, they brought with them their game of Poque. At that time it was the national card game of France. Early in the 18th century French-Canadian settlers traveled to the southern part of the United States and founded New Orleans. The game of Poque then spread through Louisiana, up the Mississippi River and around the country.

Jonathan H. Green made one of the earliest written references to poker in 1834 as he writes about the rules of the 'cheating game' being played aboard Mississippi riverboats at the time. The Cheating game quickly overtook the other popular card games of the time including 3-card monte. Gamblers liked the new game and saw it as more of a challenge to their skills and one that wasn't notorious for being rigged like 3-card monte had been. Green was so intrigued with the new game and documented its rules and way of play in his book 'An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling'. The rest, as they say, is history.

As the country evolved, so did the popularity of poker. In the Wild West part of US history, you could find a saloon to play poker in just about any town throughout the nation. It became very popular during the Civil War as soldiers from both armies played poker. When the joker was introduced as a wild card to the game, in 1875, the European influence of poker ended.

It has now been more than 200 years that the modern game of poker has been played in the United States. Since then, several other varieties have come about and poker is becoming one of the biggest spectator sports. Some of the varieties of poker that have evolved from the original version are 5-Card Draw, Stud Poker, Omaha, Razz, and the most popular version, No Limit Texas Hold'em.

Nowadays, when you ask someone if they want to play poker, it is generally assumed that the game will be Texas Hold'em.

The poker craze has skyrocketed over the past few years as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour have been televised. Other televised poker events are popping up also, like High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark..

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