Poque to Poker

If we are to examine the history of Texas Holdem, we should probably begin with the roots of poker. There are many theories as to poker's beginnings and it is most likely a combination of these theories in where the truth lies. The most common games that poker is linked to is the French game poque, German game pokkuh, and the Persian game of As Nas. The deck used for both As Nas and Poque contained 20 to 25 cards depending on if 4 or 5 people were playing. Each person was dealt 5 cards face down with one round of betting. The ranks of hands were quads, fulls, trips and pair, very similar to poker's hierarchy, excluding straights and flushes. It is up for debate as to which game emulated which, but their paths would cross after the French East India trading company was granted permission to begin trading in Persia in 1673. However, the Persian word As is not a card related word, but translates to Ace in French. Considering this, the most plausible explanation is offered by Al Alvarez. He speculates that the French sailors adapted poque to the local As Nas deck and taught it to their hosts. This game was also known as poqas.

It was only a matter of time before the game made it to the Americas and the biggest melting pot at that time, New Orleans. In saloons all over the city a variety of card games were being played, representative of the many different peoples. Whether it was French poque, German pokkuh, As Nas, poqas, deck type games were en vogue. Given that the French pronounced poque as two syllables, it was inevitable that the southerners drawl would turn the word to pokuh. As steamboats became more prevalent, so did pokuh. What better way to pass the time on the way up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. As pokuh grew in popularity in the north, the northern dialect again transformed the word to poker.

Soon the English game of brag would influence the game of poker. Brag was a bluffing game that would help exemplify the true spirit of poker and the American pioneer spirit. Brag would also introduce straights, flushes, and the use of a 52 card deck. This was also ideal for the increasing number of cardsharps at the time. A bigger deck meant more players at the table, bigger pots and more opportunities to fleece the victims. The cheats really made their livings off of passenger steamboats. The cost of a ticket was expensive and the passengers well to do. The game also spread west with the gold rush as the sharps saw more opportunity to line their already bulging pockets.

The true explosion of the games popularity can be attributed to the American Civil war. Most of the officers had most likely been introduced to the game at West Point and passed it on to the enlisted. Generals such as Grant, Sherman, and Hood were renowned poker players. Earlier in his military career, Grant had been forced to resign due to his drinking and poker playing exploits, being reduced to a a failed potato farmer. It is also speculated that Sherman calculated the placing of his troops in Atlanta because he was told of a large bluff that Hood had made in a poker game. It ultimately led to the demise of Hood's troops. After the war was over, both sides returned to their homes or headed west and took the game with them.

When one thinks of gambling and the Wild West, Wild Bill Hickok comes to mind. He is the quintessential icon of the American Frontiersman. A rough, tough, gunslinger with a penchant for poker, booze, and women. Wild Bill is also the center of the most notorious poker hand ever held. Hickok had quit his job as a lawman in Abilene and married Agnes Thatcher Lake. Before the two could comfortably settle in her hometown of Cincinnati, Bill was off to seek his fortune in the gold fields of the Black Hills in South Dakota. Bill had also had a premonition that the town of Deadwood would be his last stop. Not long before his death, he wrote a letter to his wife which partially read "Agnes Darling, if such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife — Agnes — and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore." His prophecy would come to fruition. On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood. He was the last player to be seated and was forced to sit with his back to the door. Twice he had asked other players to switch seats with him and he was refused both times. Hickok never saw John "Broken Nose Jack" McCall enter the saloon. McCall made his way behind Wild Bill and shot him in the back of the head, killing him instantly. He was holding two pair, Aces and Eights, all black. Now known as the Dead Man's Hand. The fifth card is highly disputed. The motive for Jack McCall was two-fold. Days earlier, Hickok had taken all of his money in a poker game and then insulted McCall by offering to give him enough money for breakfast. Jack also was led to believe that Wild Bill was responsible for murdering his brother Lew McCall. This legendary tale led to Wild Bill Hickok being one of the first members of the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979.