The history of Texas Hold’em poker is something that has been disputed over. Most
people believe that the history of Texas Hold’em and the game of poker began in 900 A.D.
China. It was the Chinese people who invented the rudiments of the game.
Based on this version of poker history, Texas Hold’em is most probably derived from
the Chinese game of dominoes. Emperor Mu-tsung of China was said to be a fan of the “domino
cards” as once, according to history, he was reported to have played the game (that supposedly
spawned Texas Hold’em) with his wife on New Year’s Eve, 969 A.D.
Archeological digs led to the discovery of fragments of cards that are a lot similar to the
cards used in Texas Hold’em in Egypt. Their findings made a great impact on the history of
Texas Hold’em. The fragments that the scientists found reportedly dated back to the 12th or 13th
century. But as hazy as the history of Texas Hold’em is, the history of cards are even more
unspecific. A few people believe that the modern cards used in Texas Hold’em originated from
Ganjifa, an Indian card game.
Some people believe that the history of Texas Hold’em originates from the game “as
nas.” This 5-player game that supposedly gave birth to Texas Hold’em is Persian in origin. Unlike
the modern cards used in Texas Hold’em, as nas requires a special deck comprised of 25 cards
with 5 suits. But some people dispute this claim on the history of Texas Hold’em since the only
recorded account of the Persian as nas dates back to the 17th century.
The French version of the history of Texas Hold’em by far holds the greatest authentic
aspects. The French “poque” (the word is incidentally closely related to “poker”) was brought to
New Orleans in 1480. Poque, like Texas Hold’em, involves skills on bluffing and betting. The
deck of cards used in poque consisted of spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs – similar to that
used in the modern Texas Hold’em poker game.
The history of Texas Hold’em poker in the United States maintains a lot more
consistency. The rudiments of Texas Hold’em (the game “poque”) were brought to New Orleans
by the French settlers. From New Orleans, the history of Texas Hold’em follows the steamboat
trail up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The early Texas Hold’em game then spread all over the
different states by wagon at first, and then later on, by train.
The history of Texas Hold’em played a minor role during the Civil War. The game
underwent several modifications during this time – stud poker, draw poker (the true origin of
Texas Hold’em), and straight poker. In 1875, European input on the history of Texas Hold’em
ended with the introduction of the wild card, called “the joker.”