There are millions of people who play poker across the world, and it is one of the most popular card games to play both online and offline. It is one of the games which also requires you to quite diligently study the rules as well.
It is fun to play and interesting to learn about as there are lots of fun facts about it too. It is part of our history, and has delved into our hearts through pop culture, it actually has a lot more fun facts about it than you might think.
One Of The Most Popular Card Games Out There
It is actually one of the most popular card games on the casino floor. It is a game run a lot in brick and mortar casinos and online casinos like Fanduel.com, and through its history it has drawn us into it and fascinated us.
Today we will tell you 10 fun facts about this game, things you may have never known before!
10 Poker Facts!
While you’re here, why not test your knowledge in poker trivia and see how many of these 10 fun facts about poker you already knew!
1. Poker Is Actually Over 1000 Years Old
Our favorite fact to start with. Poker was actually a very active game in the U.S. in the 19th century, however historians believe that it was actually born much, much sooner than this. Likely even dating back to 900 AD in China.
Although it may have also surfaced in the 12th century in Egypt.
Whichever way you look at it, there was a version of the game that was born in France, and then traveled across the world.
This game then appeared on the Mississippi River and became popular throughout the Civil War, where variations started popping up, and now we have the many variants of poker that we know today!
2. Poker And Dominoes Are Closer Than You Think!
As we kind of iterated earlier, the exact origins of this game are not exact, however, with so many variations it’s not surprising. However, one variation is dominoes, yes, dominoes and poker are distant cousins.
It is said that the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty would play dominoes on New Year’s Eve with his wife back in 969 AD.
3. It Was Originally A 20 Card Game
In spite of how it is played now, the first games were a little less complicated, especially in the sense that instead of today’s 52 card deck, it was originally played with only 20 cards.
There would be 20 cards and 4 people per table. The 52-card deck was only introduced in the mid 1800s, the purpose being so more people could play together.
4. Poker Has Been Seen In Literally Hundreds Of Movies
If you’ve ever seen the movies, and we know you have, there are literally hundreds, maybe thousands of appearances of it in the movies.
You see the life behind the table, the story of the poker master, tense moments, tricks, techniques, everything. It makes movies more thrilling.
Bond’s Casino Royale is infamous for its poker appearance, and we cannot lie, it does make it look so cool and appealing!
5. There Is A Poker World Series
There is also a World Series of poker (what isn’t there a World Series for now, mind you), it was founded in the 70s by the best players to find masters. It is said to be the hottest event and the most impressive for people who love poker.
It is held annually in Vegas (no surprises there), and it lasts from May to July with more than 60 tournaments held in this time.
It brings in numerous poker pros as well as media as well. Not only does it give poker enthusiasts a chance at some cash, it also allows the masters of the poker world to find the best players from across the globe.
6. The Largest Ever Poker Tournament Was In The U.K.
While the world series is a massive event, the biggest ever was in 2013 in Onchan, which is in the Isle of Man. There were an incredible 225,000 people there, and was actually confirmed as being a Guinness World Record.
Players only paid $1 to win the top prize there which was $25,000. Which might explain the large number of participants!
7. It Relates To The Name Of A Comedy Group: Groucho Marx
Back in 1915 we saw the four Marx brothers receive nicknames all ending in ‘o’, this was given to them by Art Fisher in a game of poker. There is a bit of a mystery as to if Groucho is named this because he had a small wallet, or if it was because he could be capricious.
However, if that game of poker never went down, he would’ve just been known as Julius, and not Groucho. Which is so much better!
8. It’s First Appearance On Television Was In 1973
Poker was played a lot before the 70s however, no one was interested before the 70s. Yet when the World Series debuted on TV, CBS sports covered it, and it became the first game broadcast on TV.
This is still considered one of the most popular intellectual sorts on ESPN!
9. 2012 Saw The First Ever $1,000,000 Poker Game
Most of us don’t play poker past the hundreds or even the thousands, however, Guy Laliberte the CEO of Cirque Du Soleil played an all in game with $1,000,000 back in 2012.
It seemed totally insane, but with 48 players around the table at the Rio Casino, the winner was Antonio Esfandiari, who was a pro magician. He took home $18,346, 673 that day.
10. There Are Lots Of Famous Poker Players
There are plenty of famous people who dabble in this, and some have it as a successful second career. Some politicians actually drum up a lot of extra cash doing so as well.
Nixon was one of these, funding his political career through this.
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