Origin of poker playing is highly debated, however recent excavations lend a bit of support to the doubt about its beginnings. Cards in Egypt are already found belonging to the late 12th century, while another school of thought credits India to the land where poker originated. You can find other pieces of evidence that suggest that poker might not have originated in Egypt or India but in the western world.

Documents maintained since early days within the American civilization show that poker was a much favoured game with the upper class citizens. Legend has it that the game began in New Orleans and spread all the way to Ohio and Mississippi. It was further popularised when extensive rail networks began to produce through the land. The game underwent several modifications to be called by nicknames like stud, straight and draw poker which gained fame throughout the time of the Civil War.

In Europe, the demise of poker was marked as the year the wild card concept was introduced. An example of the wild card was the Joker card and it led to further modification of the poker game. Court ruling in Nevada declared games involving betting as illegal and gamblers could possibly be arrested for getting associated with such acts. California however favoured this game, and gave it legitimate grounds to play the game. Draw poker was favoured because, the player’s skill mattered most and the laws that prevented gambling anywhere in the state were powerless against it. Stud poker was not that favoured due to its dependence on luck of the player over his response skill. Due to this, draw poker became the nation’s favourite game and Nevada went together with the tide, cancelling the laws that banned the game. It went so far as to legalise gambling in casinos.

From these bits of evidence it can be inferred that the poker game has stood the test of time and is still the people’s favourite. Although it is a highly modified form that’s being played essentially, it is historically rich, with its own group of stories and puzzles.

Along came online poker

During its formative years, only the upper-class men played poker mainly because of the affordibility and placing the high stakes. The commoner was a mere witness to it and also the situation was worse for all those who had just begun playing. A person who wished to play poker had to have a bundle of cash on his person, and also a technical know-how about the game. Even when their chances of winning are nil, they will keep a straight face in order that they might not give themselves out to the opponent.

Online poker changed the scenario, and is now a force to be reckoned with, seeing the range of participants turning up for the Poker series. The how is behind the expansion of the internet poker game can be conveniently defined. Online poker has the good thing about having a smaller over-head cost, a player can decrease or increase the number of opponents according to his skill. Online poker can also be credited as being more user friendly and requires less skills to play. A player’s current status within the game is flashed to him at regular intervals.

Probably the most significant feature in playing poker online, is the fact that there is absolutely no need to wear a mask and play the game. There is no need to fear about face-reading when your draw is bad or when you’re going to win. Since its all done through the software, the potential risks are minimal as the stakes soar high.