The history of poker is long and involved – with some believing that its origins go back as far as ancient China when the emperor played a version which combined elements of a dice and mah-jong to create a game of chance with many elements of skill in it as well.
But it was not until the 19th century when the card game that we know today first began to be widely played, first in America and then spreading out to the rest of the world. For many years it was a game played in bars and clubs throughout the country both as a way to pass the time and also as a money-making activity.
Naturally, it also soon became a professional game with tournaments springing up with increasingly large prize-pots which reached its zenith at last year’s World Series of Poker Main Event in which Qui Nguyen walked off $8 million the richer.
Another real revolution hit the game in the early 2000s as the internet started to take hold in all of our lives. Before very long online casinos and poker rooms started to spring up with increasing regularity and thus a whole new generation was introduced to the game. Freed from the sometimes intimidating atmosphere of the smoky poker room it allowed many to develop their skills at their own pace, playing for amounts that they felt comfortable with. So it’s not surprising that a great influx of both younger players and women have started to play the game.
This also seems to have had a big effect on the “real” game with this year’s WSOP attracting a record attendance, as well as record prize money.
There is also great excitement around the next projected advance in online poker which is set to come from the transformation that Virtual Reality will create. As the technology becomes more and more refined it’s thought that the experience will also become more and more realistic.
This, in turn, means that an integral part of the real game – bluffing – will become an even more important element of the online one. So where, before, it was simply a question of bluffing through the level of your bet it’s also likely to involve body language too.
That means it’s going to pay to know all the ins and out of the physical attributes needed to deceive – although an infographic created and designed by an online casino shows that many of us are no strangers to the art.
For example 81% of people think it’s OK to tell a white lie now and again and 25% of people lie to partners because it keeps both of them happy.
Of course bluffing in poker slightly different to this as deceiving your opponents is part of the game and, without it, there wouldn’t be much of a game. In fact you’d probably just end up dealing cards and then seeing who had the best hand.
So spend a little time perfecting your poker face – and body – and who knows? Maybe you could bluff your way to this year’s WSOP and win an even bigger prize than Nguyen’s!
