Poker

Poker is a game of strategy, guts, patience, luck and much more. Almost anyone can learn the rules of Poker in 5 minutes but it would take a lifetime for most to master the game of poker. It is not enough to simply know the rules of Poker, you have to be able to strategize, be able to read your opponents and find their "tells", know when to bet and when to fold or raise and when to just cash in your poker chips and walk away. Of course being the luckiest person on the planet would not hurt your Poker game either.

Poker is not simply a man's game, it is rather a unisex game and many women excel in Poker as good as the men do. There are many women in the professional poker tournaments and they are able to keep up and surpass their male counterparts.

Different Poker games

There are more than 130 variations of Poker games so there is always a game to suit anybody's taste. The most popular games are:

Texas Hold'em Poker
Five Card Stud Poker
Seven Card Stud Poker
Omaha 8 Poker
Caribbean Stud Poker

History of Poker

Nobody is certain about the exact origins of Poker. Some argue that it started sometime in the 16th century in Persia with a game not too different from today's 5 card stud Poker. The original Persian name for the game is unknown but when Poker was adopted and modified by Europeans it received names such as Brag (English), Poque (French) & Pochen (German). Some argue that the modern name of Poker was derived from the French game of Poque and some argue that it game from the German game Pochen and then there are those that insist it came from the Hindu name of Pukka. While the exact origins of both the game and name of Poker are not known it is certain that the modern day game of Poker was created in the United States in the 1800's. The game was introduced to French settlers in New Orleans around 1730 by Persian sailors as a three card game and the first references to the modern 5 card Poker games dates back to 1829 as a game played on steamboats.

The game spread to other cities by river boats and eventually with the advance of railroads and the help of wagons it spread to the rest of the country.

Dead Man's Hand
James Butler Hickock, better known as Wild Bill Hickock, was shot dead in a saloon in the city of Deadwood in the Dakota territory. He was seated at his usual table playing Poker while Jack McCall walked in and shot him in the back of his head. Since Wild Bill was a famous lawman and entertainer in his time the news of his death spread fast and so did the last Poker hand that he was holding. At the time he was shot he was holding two pair black aces and two pair black eights which became known as "Dead Man's Hand" of Poker. The fifth card that he was holding