Having a wide variety of game rules, poker is a game where the players wager over the best hand based on rules of that particular game. It was primarily known to be played with 20 cards but now it is played with a deck of either 32, 40 or 48 cards. Confused? Let us delve in deeper to understand more about the poker game and also its origins.
History of poker:
Now let us step back and take a glimpse of how this game came to be and also what were its previous forms.
Poker is believed to have been in existence since 1000 years, and is seen throughout history and across multiple cultures and continents. It is believed that the earliest form of poker was played in China as a domino game as early as the 10th century. It is also debated that it came from a Persian game known by the name of ‘As-Nas’. Now As-Nas is a card game from the 17th century and consisted of 25 cards. Other versions of the game existed in countries like France and Germany known by the names ‘Poque’ or ‘Pochen’ which belonged to the 19th century and primarily consisted of 32 cards.
The poker game later came to be what it is today, by people carrying the concept of the above mentioned games along with them at times like the civil war and also during the migration or displacements of people due to a variety of reasons.
Variants of the poker game:
There are many variations of the poker game on betist that is largely grouped based on the protocol for betting. The four main categories we can find are:
- Straight- This involves a complete hand dealing of each player where all the players bet and there is also room for raising and re-raising the stakes.
- Stud Poker- Prearranged combination of cards that are both face down and face up are dealt with and betting ensues after each round.
- Draw poker- A player deals with a complete hand, face-down, then place an ante after which then can see their cards and bet.
- Community card poker- In this version of the poker game, also known as flop-poker, players are given incomplete set of face-down cards while the face-up cards are placed in the centre.
There are many varieties of poker, it can be taken up as a simple hobby, or a community activity or as something to be pursued competitively. It finally barrows down to the players having a good time and embracing other players with true sportsmen spirit.
