Cards games like blackjack, baccarat, and poker are largely considered to be a pastime for many people are the globe. Almost everyone will have some knowledge about how to play a game or two. Sometimes, some lucky individuals get to walk away from the gaming tables with some cash after winning. That is all incredibly exciting and lots of people can certainly not resist the entertainment value as well as the potential winning opportunities that these games present them with.
How It All Started
One thing that many people tend to overlook though is the long-storied history of these games. Some of the oldest card games can be traced back to Central Asia specifically in China where the first documented card games originated from. During these times, the cards which were basically tiles made out of paper resembled dominoes and had coins drawn on them.
As these card games continue to evolve and grow more popular, they eventually made their way to other parts of the world. Europe happens to be one of the places where they were played. In the mid-13th century, people in Europe began to play with cards that have some resemblance to the modern playing decks. The main difference, in this case, was that the suites were represented by Swords, Sticks, Cups, and Coins – some types used Scepters and Batons as well.
Also reminiscent of modern playing cards were the people symbols. There were as many as six of these instead of the four that most players today are aware of. In the beginning, the playing cards were hand-drawn and used premium materials which made them quite hard to access for average people. This, fortunately, changed a short while later thanks to the advent of wooden or ivory tiles that were mass-produced in the 1400s thus making card games more accessible and more popular.
What Came to Be
Card games had only begun their journey by the time they arrived in Europe. Every century after that marked a huge milestone for the gaming culture. Even so, it is safe to say that no other period has defined and influenced modern card games like the 1800s.
By this time, card games had made their way into the Americas where various aspects of the games were tweaked. For instance, the Joker’s position as a key part of the play deck was solidified. It was also during this period that we began to see playing decks that had printed backs – the goal here was to prevent cheating.
By the time the 20th century rolled around, it had become quite clear that card games were going to be a core part of the growing commercial gambling sector. As proper gambling operations took hold and the gambling industry grew further so did the popularity of the card games. Casinos expanded quite rapidly and some of their main offerings were card games such as poker and baccarat.
Perhaps the biggest change of recent times is the transition to online gambling. Land-based or retail card games are still quite popular but way more people can do the same thing online. At their core, these card games have not changed much. It is just their delivery that has evolved.
The Story of Poker
All card games have lots of followers or fans from all around the globe but not all of them attract the same kind of attention. Poker is arguably the most popular card game, something that can be easily seen from the hundreds of amazing USA poker sites that players can access now. This popular card game, just like other types, has a very rich history that dates to centuries ago.
While its exact origins are not known, there have been speculations that the game of poker can be traced back to 9th century China. Other records show that the game may have evolved from “As Nas”, a Persian card game that was very popular in the 16th century.
Modern poker as we know it is believed to be a descendant of the French game known as Poque which is also believed to have evolved from Primero, a game commonly referred to as the mother of modern poker. The French brought the game with them to Canada after which it gained a lot of popularity thus eventually moving to other parts of America. This was where modern-day poker was shaped into what many players have come to know and love.
The Birth of Modern-Day Poker
Before the arrival of poker, 3-Card Monte was the most celebrated card game in the United States. However, this game had a pretty tainted reputation and it was often and easily rigged. Poker, on the other hand, seemed to be a more honest and robust option. As such, it was not long before the game became a popular pastime among several groups of people.
When casinos began to become commercial entities, it was not surprising that poker was one of the main offerings at the gambling venues. Things get even better as the gamers and the casino operators began to look for new ways to play the game. This consequently led to the birth of popular variants of poker including Texas Hold’em, five-card draw, and seven-card stud.
Even today, poker remains to be a highly dynamic game which means that there is still the possibility that new variants of the game will arrive soon. For now, the biggest thing that players have to enjoy is online poker gaming. Not only has online poker proven to have a massive following but it has also unearthed new opportunities for people who would not have access to gambling facilities. Moreover, with the advent of such things as live gaming, players also do not have to rely on Random Number Generators (RNG) in the games they play. They get to enjoy gaming as though they were in a real casino.
All in all, card games such as poker have come a long way and are largely very mature. Still, if history is anything to go by, there is still a lot of potential for growth and innovation and sector. We are very excited to see what comes next.
