Poker was developed during the early 19th century in the United States of America and till date it is one of the most popularly games played in the casinos. Since its humble beginnings, Poker has become an integral pastime game around the world.
The broadly accepted theory is that poker was developed in the 1800s and it was loosely based on Poque, a French parlor game. Poque was brought to New Orleans in the United States by the French traders. The popular British game Brag is also a derivative of the German bluffing game. Brag was brought to the United States by traders and colonists. It is said to influence the earliest versions of Poker which was often played with a 20-card deck.
Poker started out as a regional game played in salons in New Orleans and Louisiana before it became popular in the entire country. In the mid 19th century, the deck of cards was expanded from 20 to 52 cards. Still, Poker continued to remain a five-card game. The hand rankings had a “Flush” (five cards of the same suit) in the mid 1800’s. In the 1860’s, the “straight” (five sequence cards) were also included in hand rankings.
The decks and rules have been standardized and played globally with almost the same core rules. The primary goal of the game still remains the same, try to make a five-card poker hand and if you lack that, try to bluff and win the pot. There are several variations of the game and some of the most popular Poker games are Texas Hold’em, Big-O, Open-Face Chinese Poker etc. You can now play the Poker game online on the Mela app.
To win a game of Poker, you either need to bluff the opponents or hold your best hand till the end. In Poker, you will look to make the best possible five card hand. The card holdings can range from a high card up to a Royal Flush. Check the game rules below before you begin your Poker journey:
To play Poker like a pro, learn these important tricks before you start playing.