While hundreds of western movies and gunfighter ballads have convinced the world that poker is a quintessentially American game, its roots go back hundreds of years before the Wild West. The Persians were said to play a poker-like game centuries ago.

A bluffing game called “Pochen” was played in Germany as early as the sixteenth century. Later there was a French version, called “Poque.” The French brought this game with them to New Orleans and its popularity was spread throughout the area by the paddle wheelers that traveled the Mississippi River.

Poque soon became known as poker, and the rules were modified to allow cards to be drawn to improve one’s hand. Stud poker, still very popular today, appeared at about the same time.

Poker is played all over the world today and hundred of unique versions played in games everywhere. It’s played in casinos and poker rooms throughout the world and the last 5 years have seen an explosion in the game online which have taken it to a whole new audience. Some people play for pennies while others play professionally for hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Poker is good for you. It enriches the soul, sharpens the intellect, heals the spirit, and when played well — nourishes the wallet. Above all else, it forces us to face reality and deal with it head-on. While many players choose to ignore these realities, they are usually the ones who lose consistently. Rather than face the deficiencies in their own game, they persist in placing the blame on fate, on the dealer, on that particular deck of cards, or on anything else — except themselves — that’s handy.