No one really knows exactly how the game of poker came about; therefore, it is thought to be the result of bits and pieces of different games mixed together.

Poker is believed to have come to the United States from Europe (it is debated whether it was developed in France, Germany, England, or Persia) and to have first become popular in New Orleans. The game spread westward because of its risky nature. Speculators and adventurers enjoyed the game of high stakes.

Poker in the United States had questionable beginnings and was originally known as a game played by crooks, cheats, criminals, and other questionable characters. Professional gamblers were looked down upon because they played poker with anyone and didn’t care where they played. Poker games were associated with bars and brothels.

Gambling was originally associated only with these professional “crooks” and the very wealthy who could afford to lose plenty of money. Because anyone could sit down at a poker table and play, though, the game was eventually democratized.

The first actual reference to poker was by Jonathan Greene in his 1843 book An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling; he described a cheating game played with 20 cards that was popular on riverboats in Mississippi. When he realized there was no American name for the game he decided to call it poker. The other popular “cheating game” at this time was Three-Card Monte. Once poker came about it became more accepted almost immediately because it seemed more like a legitimate game than Three-Card Monte. As a result, people returned to the poker table, and the game became as much a southern one as a western one.

Poker eventually spread to California with the gold rush. Gambling houses with alcohol and prostitutes opened throughout the state.

Many of the different variations on the original five-card game were invented during the Civil War when the soldiers played at night between battles. Because of the popularity of poker throughout the military, many attribute the spread of the game to other countries to the armed forces.

As time passed, the game somewhat lost its dirty reputation and became more of a sport. The hustler was replaced with a professional sportsman. Today the best players participate in professional tournaments and enjoy a limited celebrity status.