National Poker Day – April 19, 2027

History of National Poker Day

Poker is a family of card games in which players take a bet on which is the best according to the rules of the game in ways similar to the rankings. The earliest forms used only 20 cards, now it is typically played with a standard deck, though nations with short packs may use 32, 40, or 48 cards. While the historical roots of poker are unknown, many game scholars point to the French game ‘poque’ and the Persian game ‘As-Nas’ as possible forerunners. However, gaming historians such as David Parlett began to challenge the notion that poker is a direct descendant of As-Nas in the 1990s.

Poker has grown in popularity since the early 20th century, progressing from being primarily a leisure sport limited to small groups of enthusiasts to a widely popular activity for both spectators and participants, including online platforms, with professional players and tournament prizes. In contrast to this variation of poker, the seven-card stud first appeared in the mid-nineteenth century and was widely popularized by the U.S. military. Following World War II, it became a fixture in many casinos, and its popularity grew with the introduction of the World Series of Poker in the 1970s.

Over the next few decades, Texas Hold ’em and other community card games came to dominate the gambling scene. Poker television was a particularly strong influence in increasing the game’s popularity around the turn of the century, resulting in the poker boom a few years later. Today, the game has grown to be a hugely popular pastime all over the world.