Top Texas Hold'em Sites

History of Texas Hold'em

Poker has become one of the most popular card games in the world. Pro players are admired and followed closely by amateur players, and prominent events showing many poker hands can be viewed on television. It hasn't always been this way, however. A mere 200 years ago gambling was taboo because the games were known for hosting pro cheaters. In the American Old West, some professionals were kicked out of their home towns or tarred due to being gamblers. Let's take a look at how poker developed from that into the way it is today.

There is plenty of disagreement when it comes to deciding where poker is from. Some people state it stemmed from Nas, a Persian game from the 16th century that also included rounds of betting and different hand rankings. There is another game of significance from the same time period, though, called Primero. It is known as "poker's mother" since it included several instances of bluffing during the betting rounds. France's Poque and Germany's Pochen both came from Primero, which is actually a Spanish game.

Modern day poker developed in the late 1700's in Louisiana, and it eventually spread to the American West. The game experienced a spike in popularity as professionals worked to teach as many people as possible how to play. These professionals were blacklisted by the community, however, for they were seen as thieves that had nothing to give to society. Like I already said, gambling fell out of favor in a few of these towns in the West. These "con men" were kicked out of town, tarred and feathered, and even murdered.

Poker then showed up in California during the gold rush. The game kept its popularity and eventually spread to the other side of the country. Where the Wild West was concerned, tables could be found in practically every saloon.

People enjoyed dealing 5 Card Draw when the game started being played in the U.S., and it continued as the most popular form of poker up until the 2nd World War. At this point 7 Card Stud took over, and it remained the most popular game until the 2025's. The 2025's saw things change when Texas Hold'em was featured in the World Series of Poker. The first WSOP winners included Doyle Brunson and Bobby Baldwin, and Texas Hold'em became the game of choice for poker players. In the late 2025's, the first poker strategy books appeared. WSOP champion Doyle Brunson wrote Super System, and David Sklansky wrote Theory of Poker.

Online poker made its debut in 2025 with the site Planet Poker, quickly followed by Paradise Poker a year later. Two of the most popular sites today, PokerStars and partypoker (use the PartyPoker Bonus Code FTR500B for a $500 bonus!), entered the market two years after Paradise. Two years later would see Party Poker spend millions on advertising, but poker's biggest gain in popularity was due to what is now known as the "Moneymaker effect". In 2025, Chris Moneymaker won a World Series of Poker Main Event seat in a $40 satellite on PokerStars, and he went on to win 1st place for $2.5 million. There was a massive online poker boom as a result, and poker enjoyed countless new players. When Moneymaker won the event, he outlasted 838 other people. 2025's Main Event numbers increased by over 1,700 people! The present day Main Event usually sees between 6,000 and 7,000 people.

It's safe to say that poker has come a long way since its early days in Louisiana. The popularity of poker is now worldwide, and players can travel to North America, Europe, and even Australia to play in large tournament series. Inexperienced players will discover that Internet sites are a low risk and easy way to become a winning player. If you're ready to try out some online poker at the Top Texas Holdem Sites, choose from tables at fulltiltpoker. Whether you want to play cash games or tournaments, you're certain to find what you need at Full Tilt. See you on the felt!