The game of poker dates back to the middle 1800s in the United States. It was a part of the gambling commonly done on the riverboats as well as in the saloons. The game Poker is related to two other card games -- the French Poque and the British Brag. Gold dust and gold nuggets as well as coins were early forms of cash used for poker games before the more easily handled poker chips replaced them.

Before being massed produced from plastics, poker chips were created from bone, wood and ivory as well as clay and even paper. Since so many different types of chips were used in the early games of poker, it was easy for cheaters to slip their own chips into a game. The gambling establishments caught on to this when they would discover extra chips at the end of poker games. The establishments began using poker chips with a distinctive pattern so they were set apart from the other chips.

The first form of poker was played with 20 cards – the face cards, plus the aces and tens. Since the number of cards is limited in 20 Card poker, the possible card combinations are also limited. Bets are made on only four types of hands and there is no draw. By the mid-1830s, 52 card packs were used and draws and flushes became a part of poker games. The straight didn’t get added to poker until much later.

The history of poker gradually evolved into a game of skill – especially after the draw was adopted. Stud poker started to become popular in the mid 19th century. It was developed by American cowboys and was also called Stud Horse poker. Jack pots were the next big addition to poker and the rules surrounding them changed several times. Printed poker rules began appearing between 1900 and 1905. The concept of a divided pot between the highest and the lowest hand, or Hi/Lo poker, was known by about 1903.

By 1919, or even earlier, the idea of community cards had become a part of poker games. This led to many different varieties of poker – eventually to today’s Texas Hold’em as it is played with community cards. Modern technology eventually made the televising of live poker tournaments possible as the viewers could clearly see each player’s hand. Live broadcasts have increased the attention to the game of poker and have helped it grow in popularity.