Safe Gambling 79166

Poker has been in existence for more than a century, but it is really only within the last several years that the game really saw a spike in popularity. So what is changed to influence this popularity and where did the game come from to enjoy such popularity?

While the origins of the game of poker are somewhat murky, with links to the Persian game of As Nas and also the French game of poque, it's known to have really started to gain ground within the early 19th century along the Mississippi River, with many different forms of the game being played on riverboats where trusted gambling was a common past-time.

Throughout the American Civil War and continuing after, variations such as stud poker, wild cards, and community card poker were all introduced tot he game. In Las Vegas, regular tournaments were held in an attempt to draw players willing to play in high-stakes games, nevertheless they invariably failed to draw the crowds and money players who were desired, despite the upgrading of casinos to accommodate these players. Within the mid 20th century poker tournaments, such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP), began in American casinos, finally drawing the type of player that they had desired. The game also started to show up regularly in popular culture, including television shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation and in films like Rounders.

In the 21st century the game saw a large spike in popularity for a range of reasons. The introduction of online poker allowed anybody to play the game from the comfort of their very own homes with no need to put together a group to play or travel to a casino. Furthermore, poker tournaments being televised, along with hold-card cameras, turned poker into something of a spectator sport, with the Texas Hold 'Em number of the game benefiting in particular as it has become the most widely played version, especially at the WSOP.

With smartphones and tablets now being nearly ubiquitous, even more people are playing poker than in the past because of the supply of free apps to play anywhere or any time. Online poker players can even win seats at major tournaments now, with Chris Moneymaker arguably being the most well-known because of his 2003 World Series of Poker championship win after winning an online tournament.

As technology continues to connect us it shall be interesting to find out how the game keeps growing and if it moves away from the casinos and tables as well as more to keyboards and pixels.