top poker games

The Origin of the Word Poker

First, game historians and several dictionaries point out to France, as the source of the card game's name. There is a similar card game known as Poque, played popularly in French Casinos. A lot of modern card games have been theorized to have evolved from French card games, so it is quite possible that poker got its name, and the game itself from French origins.

On the other hand, a neighboring country of France was also theorized to claim the roots of poker and its name. In Germany, there is a game called "pochspiel," which has an element of bluffing. Here, players make a rapping sound and sasy "I'l Poch," whenefer they want to open or pass.

Third, many believe that poker has a Hindu Origin. Poker is traced back to the Hindu word "Pukka" which means "substantial".

Game historians also traced a possible origin of poker and the game itself in the boats along the Mississippi river. In the writings of Jonathan H. Green in 1833, he mentioned of a 20-card "cheating game," which he called poker. The word poker was probably derived from an underworld slang "poke" commonly used by pickpockets. The term was added with an-r at the end to refer to the term used by cardsharps when playing the twenty-card game in order to relieve the sucker from their poke.

Last but not the least, game historians also point out to "hocus pocus" as the root of the term poker. Magicians do a "hocus pocus" in order to perform a trick. Later, magicians used the 52 cards of the deck, except the two jokers, in performing a trick. Years passed and the people also used the 52 cards to play a game of poker.

Today, we are still uncertain of the origin of the name poker. Other theories will continue to be developed. Game scholars will continue to find out other possible origin of the word poker. We are not certain, whether any of these can be proven in the near future. But there is one thing we can be sure of… Poker will remain a source of joy and fun for everyone