When Was Poker Invented: A Brief History of the Game

26 Apr 2025

Beginner

This material is for beginner players

The exact moment poker was invented is unknown. There are no confirmed dates, no original rules preserved. What’s certain is that the game has been around for over two centuries and has changed many times. Over time, it split into different forms — Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Draw — each adding something new but rooted in the same foundation. In today's topic we'll talk about when was poker invented and how it all started.

Each poker variant has its own rules, style of play, and approach to bluffing — but they all share a few core elements:

• Money on the line. From the very beginning, poker has been played for real stakes. That gambling element has always been part of its identity;
• Hand rankings. No matter the variant, the main goal remains the same — to make the strongest possible hand;
• Bluffing. Deception is part of the game. Even weak cards can win if played convincingly, without ever being shown.

Everything else has changed over time — the number of cards in the deck, the size of each hand, and even the combinations themselves. Today, the rules have largely settled. The most popular versions by far are Omaha and Texas Hold’em. Both are relatively recent, heavily promoted by casinos, and highly entertaining to watch.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at poker origin — when and where it first appeared, and who might have created it.

It's impossible to say exactly where did poker originate, purely in theoretical terms, because it is not like the wheel — it's a game with a rather extensive set of rules that were gradually added and changed over time. Moreover, modern poker revolves around betting, which was absent in most ancient games. So, the history of poker isn't that deep, but it’s no less interesting.

So where was poker invented? A game called As-Nas (آس ناس), which shares several core elements with modern poker, appeared in Persia in the 16th century. It was played with a 20-25 card deck and, according to research, featured six hand combinations similar to today’s straight flush, pair, three of a kind, four of a kind (with or without a joker), and full house. A mid-19th century As-Nas deck is preserved in the Brooklyn Museum.

Several European card games are also considered ancestors of modern poker:

• Primero, a popular gambling game first mentioned in 1526;
• Brelan (also known as Brelenc), a French 17th-century game using a 28-card deck, with written references dating back to 1458.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, European powers began colonizing the Americas. By 1829, French and German settlers in New Orleans adapted As-Nas into a new game called Poques (or Pochen) — the earliest form of Five Card Draw. Interestingly, the name Poques translates to "bluff", a concept that remains central to poker to this day.

Poker, in its current form, emerged in the early or mid-18th century in the area that is now the United States, and by 1800, it had spread along the Mississippi River. At that time, there were no clear rules, and it was often played with a 20-card deck when there were few players.

During the Gold Rush, poker became even more popular, turning into a regular pastime. Later, the 52-card deck was introduced, along with a new hand combination — the flush. During the Civil War in the U.S., Five-Card Stud was invented, and the straight was added. Later, Lowball and High-Low versions emerged. As for the variants involving community cards on the table, these didn’t appear until the early 20th century, in the 1920s. So, the history of poker, particularly Texas Hold'em and Omaha, is even shorter.

By the way, wars played a significant role in spreading card games. While the first settlers brought their traditions and customs (including games) to the American continent, during World War I, descendants of those settlers shared their knowledge with soldiers from other countries, mostly Europeans.

According to English writer Joseph Cowell, who observed the game in the 18th-19th centuries, early poker had the following basic rules:

• Four players at the table;
• A 20-card deck, borrowed from As-Nas;
• Betting on the strongest hand — with the possibility of bluffing.

Starting around 1800, New Orleans poker (in four- and five-card formats) began to evolve, eventually adopting the 52-card deck. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), a version known as Stud became the most widely played. It quickly spread to saloons and other public venues.

For the next 70 to 100 years, Stud remained the dominant form of poker, and the game didn’t expand much beyond the U.S. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that Texas Hold’em and Omaha emerged, both originating in Robstown, Texas. The Texas Legislature later officially declared Robstown the "Home of Hold’em". However, no one knows exactly how long has poker been around.

Texas Hold’em first gained real attention in 1967, when it was introduced to Las Vegas casinos. One of its earliest promoters was Crandell Addington — a successful businessman and one of the founders of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). He described the game like this:

• Hold’em is a game for thinkers. Compared to traditional Stud, it relies less on luck and more on skill and bluffing;
• Hold’em is strategic and spectator-friendly. It’s more exciting to watch than classic Stud, which helped fuel its popularity.

The first official Texas Hold’em tournament was held in 1969 at the Dunes Casino in Las Vegas. One year later, the World Series of Poker was launched, evolving from the so-called "Gambling Fraternity Convention".

The most interesting part begins in the 1970s. During those years, the computer mouse was invented, and the first microprocessor hit the market. Also, tournament poker began to develop, with significant support from the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

At this point, the trajectory of poker’s history takes off and reaches new heights. Year by year, the game’s popularity grows along with its spread across numerous casinos. Players like Doyle Brunson, Paggie Pearson, and Johnny Moss gain fame not only within card-playing circles.

As large prize pools became part of Hold’em tournaments, the game began to spread rapidly — first across the U.S., and later around the world. Several key books played a role in boosting its popularity:

• Super/System by Doyle Brunson (1978). One of the first books on poker strategy, written by a professional player and WSOP champion;
• The Biggest Game in Town by Al Alvarez (1982). A narrative account of the 1981 WSOP, and one of the first serious pieces of poker journalism.

Poker has become a staple of modern culture and takes its place as an accessible form of entertainment. It even makes several appearances in the Star Trek series. In the 1990s, poker took the U.S. by storm, and in 1998, two major events in the history of poker occurred.

In the late 90s, the cult classic Rounders was released, and the Planet Poker website launched a virtual version of the beloved game. Add to this the television broadcasts of the World Series, and you have the beginnings of the first real poker boom.

Poker found its greatest popularity in the United States — the undisputed leader in hosting the world’s most prestigious tournaments. The game evolved over time through several key milestones:

• Early to mid-19th century: During the U.S. Civil War, 4- and 5-card Stud became widespread.
• Early 20th century: 7-card Stud emerged and quickly took center stage.
• 1969: The first official Texas Hold’em tournament was held in Las Vegas.
• 1987: California legalized both Omaha and Texas Hold’em. Until then, only Draw poker was permitted in the state. This marked a turning point, taking modern poker beyond the Las Vegas casinos and into the broader public.
• 1990s–2000s: Poker made its way into casinos across Atlantic City and New Jersey.
• 1998: The first real-money win in online poker was recorded, ushering in a new era.

In 1999, the British TV show Late Night Poker aired for the first time. It introduced a groundbreaking concept — showing players’ hole cards during betting rounds, before the showdown. This innovation turned poker into a true spectator sport and brought it into the spotlight even before the internet boom.

However, the true explosion happened a bit later. In 2003, World Poker Tour began airing on the Travel Channel, and Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker Main Event, triggering the "Moneymaker Effect".

By 2003, online poker rooms began offering satellite tournaments: paid-entry events where winners could qualify for larger offline championships. This move helped poker explode in popularity worldwide. The internet opened up the game in two major ways:

• Accessibility. Anyone, anywhere in the world, could now play. Beginners could practice their skills, learn to manage their bankroll, and prepare for live casino tables;
• Mass exposure. Livestreams of major poker tournaments drew millions of viewers. Events were backed by sportsbooks and commercial sponsors eager to reach new audiences.

From 2003 to 2006, it was the golden age for the famed card game. This part of poker’s history is at its peak. In the 2006 WSOP Main Event, 8,773 players participated, and the winner, Jamie Gold, took home a record-breaking $12,000,000. By comparison, 6,737 people played in the 2016 World Series of Poker.

Historians are still unsure about who exactly invented poker. The game is so old that many of its origins have been lost to time. Over the centuries, the rules and formats have evolved, but the core of poker has remained the same. In the 1970s, poker’s popularity began to soar, and today, it’s regarded as more than just a gambling game — it’s seen as an intellectual sport. Poker requires strategy, discipline, and the ability to read people, which makes it truly unique.

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