Online Poker

Poker History

There are lots of theories about the origins of poker, but the most popular belief is that it was invented by the Chinese people around 900 A.D., possibly derived from the Chinese dominoes. Also it is believed that the Persian game "as nas" is the father of the game. This is a 5-player Persian game, which requires a special deck of 25 cards with 5 suits.

Another theory points French "poque" as a beginning of the most popular card game today. This game of poker included bluffing and there for first time is used the deck consisting of spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts. Presently, Poker is a carefully regulated game governed by many laws. It has grown into a sporting event, with competitions and tournaments all around the world. Some of these tournaments are shown on the TV.

Another part of the evolution of the poker is marked by the development of the Internet. In 1998 was launched the first online poker room - Planet Poker. Not later than a year Paradise Poker was established soon become one of the industry leaders. During this initial period of entry, the infamous case of Poker Spot occurred. The Poker Spot was an online poker firm founded by Dutch Boyd, a successful poker player. The another leading online poker room - Party Poker was launched in 2001.

Poker Games

Poker is known as a game where the players bet on the strength of a hand. The betting rounds are from two /draw games/ to five /stud games/. Every hand starts with an ante or Blinds to be formed the starting pot. Usually, the winner is the player with the highest ranked hand, but there are some variations of poker where the winner can be the player with the lowest hand - Lowball poker. In almost all poker games is used a button that indicates the position of the dealer. The button moves clockwise after each initial game.

The main variations of the poker are:

- COMMUNITY GAMES - Here the poker games are played with community /board/ cards. These cards are dealt in the middle of the table and are used from all of the players in order to form their hands. These cards are dealt individually to each of the players around the table. The games in this category are - Texas Holdem, Omaha Holdem, Pineapple, Cincinnati and etc.

- DRAW GAMES - There are two betting rounds. Each of the players are dealt the number of the cards, required for the current type of the game in one dealing. They have the option to discard some of the cards or all of them. The winner is the player with the highest hand. The game in this group are 5 Draw poker, Jacks Or Better, Chinese Poker and etc.

- STUD GAMES - In these games the each of the players receive several upcards and several downcards. There are no community cards. The games start with an ante. The first betting round is opened by the player with the lowest upcard. The games in this section are - 7 card stud, 5 card stud, Pai Gow Poker and etc.

- LOWBALL POKER - This game is played from 3-7 players. Initial deal is five cards to each player. The game is exactly like five card draw except you are trying to get the worst hand. The rank of the hands are the same as standard version of poker except that the lowest hand wins. Lowball is the same as five card draw, except the lowest hands wins.