6 Weird Facts About Poker

Playing poker is among the most loved hobbies in the world. This is a game that has been around for so many years.

Based on historical facts, the game has been in existence for more than two centuries. Therefore, there is so much history associated with it.

If you ask any poker player, they each have a reason why they have it as a hobby. To some, it is a mental game that has the same impact on your mind as chess.

Others will tell you they love the thrill involved in winning and losing a game of poker. Finally, there are also those that were introduced to the game and simply loved it.

By the end of this article, you will have one or more reasons to love poker. What you probably do not know is that in the rich history of the game, there are several fun facts involved.

This will help you learn something new about the game. Below are some cool facts that will make you love the game even more.

How Did Poker Chips Come to Be?

As early as the 19th century, people used to play poker. As you could expect, things were not as advanced as today.

They did not enjoy the privilege of the internet or simpler things like online poker. As a matter of fact, people did not have the basic tools of enjoying the game such as poker chips.

Since the game had to be played, they had to be creative. Therefore, players relied on anything small but valuable for use as a wager. This included items such as gold dust, coins, paper money, and pieces of gold and silver.

However, as time progressed, the gambling houses thought it was a nice idea to create some form of standardized chips. These were made from materials such as clay, ivory, bone, wood, and decorated using unique symbols. However, as times progressed the chips became vulnerable to being copied by cons.

To deal with the counterfeits, commercial companies started making unique clay chips that were very hard to copy. Though hard to forge, the clay chips faced the problem of durability and ease of customization.

This is why in recent years, ceramic chips have overtaken the clay ones in terms of popularity. They have been improved to include microchips for uniqueness and also minimize their chances of being forged. If you’re on the market for poker chips, check out this awesome buying guide.

There is a Poker Game That Extended for Almost a Decade

Which is the longest you have lasted in a game of poker? You are probably thinking of minutes and hours.

However, you will be surprised to hear that there was a game that was played for about eight years and a half years. That is pretty for a long time for a poker game. The players must have harnessed the best poker strategies to last this long.

The Bird Cage Theatre claimed that it hosted this game as a tournament that started in 1881. You are probably thinking this was a game played on a part-time basis. This is not the case; it was played for twenty fours a day.

Admission into the game required $1000 buy-ins. Another fun fact is that within this period, about $10 million changed hands. This is a large amount of money at those times and even today. Too bad that we do not actually get to know who finally won the game. 

One of Our Presidents Was Actually a Poker Player

One of the most ruthless presidents this country has ever had is Richard Nixon. This could have been a tactic that he learned from his poker playing days. This was a hobby that he learned and perfected back in his days in the navy.

His game became so good that he actually bought several homes from the winnings he made. Also, according to extracts from his biography, Nixon actually financed part of his first campaign from his poker winnings. Playing poker also made him a very good negotiator, which served him well during his time in office.

The Evolvement of Poker

Among the amazing facts about poker is that it keeps evolving. This is what has made it become popular.

In the beginning, it was being played with a deck of 20 cards. However, with time the game changed and soon adopted the standard English deck of 52 cards.

The game also evolved in rules. Among the notable changes are that of discarding cards. Players were soon allowed to discard and get an equal number of cards as replacements.

For example, in a five-card draw, a player is at liberty to discard as many as three cards and pick an equal number from the deck. Another evolution involves the introduction and use of wildcards during the game.

In the modern game, a lot of changes have also been achieved. The first is the comfort of being able to play the game from their most convenient location.

Fun Fact About Texas Hold’em

You are probably familiar with this term because it is one of the most popular poker games. There has always been some kind of disagreement over where the game actually originated.

According to Alex Kapinski at NJGamblingFun.com “The name suggests that it would have originated from Texas, but where precisely was yet to be known. However, in 2007 the state of Texas sought to resolve the mystery by declaring that it actually started in the early 1900s. The place of origin was Robstown, a city in South Texas.”

Even funnier is the fact that being the birthplace of the game, you cannot currently enjoy it in this city. According to San Antonio Express-News, this is because the State laws consider betting on cards as illegal.

Poker Is One of the Lucrative Sports

What you call gambling is actually a game capable of making you good money. In the world of sports, games like soccer, NBA, and Formula One are regarded as one of the most well-paying. However, you will be surprised to know that in previous high roller poker tournaments, the rewards have gone as $44.2 million.

Already Loving the Game More?

As already established, poker is a game that we have all come to like. However, there is no harm in learning something new and exciting about it. So, which of the facts excited you the most?