History of Poker and Online Poker

Have you ever heard of Poque, or Pochspiel, Pukka, Poke or Hocus Pocus?

Funnily enough, they are all names that are considered to have influenced the modern card game we call Poker, which appears to have evolved from a 20-card game using aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens. This game was called the ‘cheating game’ and was played on the Mississippi riverboats by card sharks whose main objective was to win the pots wagered by other players who were either unsuspecting amateurs or other professional gamblers.

Some believe that the word Poker derives from Pochspiel, a German game in which there was an element of bluffing. Our favourite possible origin is that it came from an underworld slang word “poke”, a term used by pickpockets. In other words, professional gamblers who played the ‘cheating game’ with green amateurs, were looking to pick the pockets of their victims through the unconventional means of a card game. To further hide their intentions, the cardsharps may have used the word ‘poker’, so that their opponents wouldn’t figure out what they meant to do.

Today poker is a rapidly growing favourite and has made the transition from a face-to-face card game played in smoky rooms to the varied online environments that are available in online poker rooms. Both men and women love to play poker online, and it’s a particularly good environment for watching different player’s styles before you jump into a game yourself.