English actor Joseph Cowell reported in his memoirs[1] that the game was played in New Orleans, Louisiana

in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, and four players bet ting on which player's hand was the most valuable.[2] Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 18 43), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by M ississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread nort h along the Mississippi River and to the West during the gold rush, it is though t to have become a part of the frontier pioneer ethos. Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used[3] and the flush was introduced. The draw was added prior to 1850 (when it was first mentioned in print in a handbook of games).[4] During the American Civil War, many additions were made including stud poker (specifically five-card stud), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lo wball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925). Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker (WSOP) began, in 1970.[5] Notable champions from these early WSOP tour naments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson, and Pu ggy Pearson. Later in the 1970s, the first serious poker strategy books appeared , notably Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8) and Caro's Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by The Theory of P oker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0). By the 1980s, poker was being depic ted in popular culture as a commonplace recreational activity. For example, it w as featured in at least 10 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation as a weekl y event of the senior staff of the fictional ship's crew.[6] In the 1990s, poker and casino gambling spread across the United States, most notably to Atlantic C ity, New Jersey.[7] Poker's popularity experienced an unprecedented spike at the beginning of the 21 st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and hole-card ca meras, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Not only could viewers now follow the action and drama of the game on television, they could also play the game in the comfort of their own home.English actor Joseph Cowell reported in hi s memoirs[1] that the game was played in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, and four players betting on which player's hand was the most v aluable.[2] Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Ga mbling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling w as a common pastime. As it spread north along the Mississippi River and to the W est during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier pi oneer ethos. Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used[3] and the flush was introduced. The draw was added prior to 1850 (when it was first mentioned in print in a handbook of games).[4] During the American Civil War, many additions were made including stud poker (specifically five-card stud), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lo wball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925). Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker (WSOP) began, in 1970.[5] Notable champions from these early WSOP tour naments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson, and Pu ggy Pearson. Later in the 1970s, the first serious poker strategy books appeared , notably Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8) and Caro's Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by The Theory of P oker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0). By the 1980s, poker was being depic ted in popular culture as a commonplace recreational activity. For example, it w

as featured in at least 10 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation as a weekl y event of the senior staff of the fictional ship's crew.[6] In the 1990s, poker and casino gambling spread across the United States, most notably to Atlantic C ity, New Jersey.[7] Poker's popularity experienced an unprecedented spike at the beginning of the 21 st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and hole-card ca meras, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Not only could viewers now follow the action and drama of the game on television, they could also play the game in the comfort of their own home.