The game of poker appears to have got its start in the early part of the nineteenth century in New Orleans. The game itself is of course based on older card games that were imported from Europe but it was the game played in New Orleans that we would recognize as being the start of modern poker.

The first games of poker were played with a twenty card deck, tens through aces, and where largely a game of chance. There was no draw in the early games so there was little skill involved. In fact the early games could only be played with four players. This way the full deck would be dealt and whoever had the best hand would win.

Things really started to change for the game of poker in about the 1830’s when the fifty two card deck as introduced. This not only allowed more players to play it also meant that there were cards available for a draw. This is when poker as we would know it today started to appear. The draw introduced bluffing and changed poker from being a game of chance to one that required skill.

The early versions of poker were all draw poker however during the Civil War many other variants were introduced. This was mainly to keep the game interesting. Some of the variations where also introduced in the hopes of adding some discipline to the game. In the early days the game was almost entirely about bluffing and players would often bet even when they had nothing and force the players who actually had good hands out. Rules where therefore introduced that it was hoped would stop this and reduce the influence of bluffing on the game.

At this point poker largely remained unchanged until the early part of the twentieth century when hold’em poker was introduced. This was introduced in large part because it sped up the game which was ideal for casinos; it also allowed more people to play. Given how popular hold’em is today most people would be surprised to learn that for much of its history it was not particularly popular. It has only been the rise of tournament play and games being played on television that has made hold’em the most popular version of poker. One of the great benefits of hold’em is that it is so easy to learn that it has really helped to spread the popularity of the game.

When you make a raise, you want to make sure that you do not say things like ‘I call your bet and raise you $X.”, this is actually considered your final action and if you want to do anymore … you can not usually.  You want to say that you want to call and raise, then state the amount that you want to raise.

When you do not follow some of these simple rules, it can really annoy a lot of the other players and that is not usually what you want to do.

Poker is a game of skill – many people don’t realize that.  It is actually a game that you might want to brush up your skills on and it is certainly a game that you will want to do some research and really think about the game before you dive right in.  Bluffing is definitely something that you are going to have to do in this particular game – for that is what the game is all about.

Did you know that there is a such thing as semi-bluffing though?  Most people don’t realize this but you can actually semi-bluff and usually get away with it … which is a good thing.  Semi-bluffing works fantastic in no-limit games and it is a great tool to have in your back pocket.

For more tips and tricks – stay tuned, I can promise next week is going to be awesome!

But why not keep it casual when you get bitten by the poker bug?  The current state of the economy makes it difficult for a lot of us to even think about going on the road and playing the big tournaments.  For us, there’s variations of Nickle and Dime poker instead.  Think about it: you can have some fun, most of all; you can win some money, also good; and you can hone your skills so that, who knows?  Maybe one of these days you will be ready to take it on the road.

Now, don’t start groaning.  The games we’ll be discussing in the coming weeks are not lame, it’s not kiddie poker.  Have an open mind — you might surprise yourself and find a new favorite game.