Texas Holdem Poker History
The game of Texas hold’em poker has a rich and interesting history. Full Tilt Poker presents the story so far.
According to some historicians was the first Texas Holdem Poker game in poker history played in small town Robstown in Texas in early 19th century. This game was very fast spreading to the saloons in US southwest and was also know under name “Devil’s River” because heavy drinking and fight were part of the game back then. Texas Holdem Poker history is still very unclear in spite of many historicians trying to clarify it. The time, history of poker details as well as the country where Texas Holdem Poker was born are unknown. Spanish game called “Primero” is considered to be the mother of poker as we know it today. Over time, different games have dominated among poker players, including five-card draw, seven-card stud and—most recently—Texas Hold’em, which began its rise to dominance in the 1970s when. Texas Hold’em, christened the ‘cadillac of poker’ rose to promienence in the 1970’s when it was featured as the title game in the World Series of Poker. Today, Texas Hold’em is indisputably the most frequently played and most popular poker game in the world, played in casinos and on home game tables the world over. See full list on gamblingsites.org.
As the name suggests, the game started out in Texas, and Robstown, Texas is officially recognised as the place in which it originated, during the early part of the 20th century.
The exact conditions under which the game was invented aren't exactly clear, nor are the details of its infancy, but we do know that Texas hold'em remained in Texas – where it was simply known as hold'em – up until 1967, when it was introduced to Las Vegas.
Crandell Addington, one of the men who took poker to Vegas described it as “a thinking man's game,” due to the opportunities it gives you to play strategically, and this may be the reason that the game took off.
For its first few years in Vegas, you could only play Texas hold'em at one casino – The Golden Nugget. It was located in Downtown Las Vegas and was a bit of a seedy joint, which didn't get many high-stake players coming in.
As such, the game remained in relative obscurity until 1969 when a Texas hold'em tournament was held in the lobby of The Dune casino. Due to the prominence of the location – right on The Strip – the tournament proved to be financially rewarding for a number of high rollers, which increased the popularity of the game exponentially.
This was the start of Texas hold'em poker's rise to fame.
Another big milestone in the history of Texas hold'em was the advent of the World Series of Poker in 1970. Father and son, Benny and Jack Binion, bought the rights to the Gambling Fraternity Convention, changed its name to the World Series of Poker, and chose to host it at Binion's Horseshoe, the casino they owned.
Ever since 1971, the second year of the series, the main event of this tournament has been a no-limit game of Texas hold'em. Although the amount of entrants was small at first, they grew steadily over the years and now thousands of people compete in the main event of the World Series of Poker each year.
Texas Hold'em Poker Superhry
Texas hold'em's place on the world stage was further cemented by a couple of books released in the '70s and '80s. Doyle Brunson's popular poker strategy book, entitled Super System, was released in 1978 and revolutionised the way people viewed and played the game. Al Alvarez's 1983 book, The Biggest Game in Town was a documentary account of 1981's World Series of Poker.
It brought Texas hold'em and the world of professional poker players into the public eye and is credited with starting the genre of poker literature.
Years on, Texas hold'em can definitely be seen as a world renowned and mainstream game. Professional tournaments are even broadcast on television to wide audiences, and people from across the world play it recreationally, either online or at home, with a real deck of cards.
It's safe to say that Texas hold'em has come far from its humble beginnings, and is here to stay.
Texas Holdem Poker Real Money
Article sponsored by Full Tilt Poker