The game of Poker has a long and colorful history although no one can accurately pinpoint its origins. Some historians and poker buffs speculate that Poker began in China, others say Persia, and still others say France. One thing is certain, however, wherever Poker did originate, it is definitely an international game.

In fact, today Poker is the most widely played card game in the world. Tournaments and competitions take place regularly in virtually every country, with some of these competitions offering huge cash prizes. Even though the rules and strategies may vary from country to country, Poker afficianados come from all over the world for a chance to play and compete for the title and prizes offered. Poker is unique in that it is the only casino type game where players compete against one another instead of the house. Wherever it is played, however, the system of ranking the winning hand remains the same everywhere.

The U.S. is home to some of the largest Poker tournaments and competitions in the world, as Poker has enjoyed widespread popularity in the U.S. since its inception there. The history of Poker in the U.S. is easier to trace and, while its rules and strategies seem to have been taken from several different games, the name seems to be most closely derived from the French game, poque. Poque is thought to be the first game to use a deck of cards made up of the four suits we use today called clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.

The rules of modern Poker in the U.S. are different from the rules that governed those first Poker games played on the riverboats that used to traverse the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in the 1830s, but many of the games we do still play, such as stud poker, the draw, and the straight, come from that era and the era of the Civil War. In fact, in the Wild West days of the U.S., no self-respecting saloon was without at least one Poker table.

With the advent of the Internet and its growing availability, online Poker games are gaining more and more attention and the game of Poker is growing in popularity. The ease and convenience of using the Internet to play has fueled the demand for online games and the number of people playing. With the growing number of players, the cash prizes are likely to grow as well, which will just increase the game’s popularity. It appears that the Internet is going to open up another chapter in the colorful history of Poker.