Uncover The Past Of The World’s Favourite Poker Game

It’s hard to imagine a world without Texas Hold’em. You’d be hard pressed to find a person these days that doesn’t automatically think of hold’em when they think about poker. Sure there are a few older people who still stick to Draw, but most of the world is united around hold’em. It’s so ubiquitous with poker that very few people actually think about hold’em history. Where did it come from? How old is it? And how did it make its mark on the world? Well stick with us and we’ll tell you.

Where did Texas Hold’em originate?

A sleepy southern Texan city called Robstown claims responsibility for the first games of Texas Hold’em. In fact, it’s even written in the Texas Legislature.

How far does Hold’em history stretch back?

It might surprise you to know that Hold’em history isn’t really that long, in the grand scheme of things. People estimate the game was first played (as we discussed before in Robstown, Texas) around the early 1900s. Then for the next half century or so, it slowly but surely spread across the state. But it largely remained within Texas until…

When did Hold’em come to Vegas?

Las Vegas was an exciting place in the 1960s. The development of the strip in the late 1940s and early 1950s saw the population boom and tourists flock to the area in huge numbers. And more people meant more innovation.

Crandell Addington, one of the founders of the World Series of Poker, first played Texas Hold’em in 1959. Although no one realised it at the time, this would be a pivotal moment in the hold’em history books. He realised the strategic potential of the game and it stuck with him.

By the 1960s, another poker legend, Corky McCorquodale brought the game to Vegas for the first time. Players could now try it out in the California Club. By 1967, the main place you could find hold’em was the Golden Nugget. But this casino didn’t get a lot of attention, so neither did hold’em. A few players clubbed together and decided to showcase the game and its benefits benefits to a wider audience. So in 1969, the entrance of the Dunes Casino held its first hold’em games and that’s when more traditional players got to see what the game was all about.

Did the WSOP always have hold’em events?

The first World Series of Poker was in 1970. However, it’s not like the gigantic spectacle we all know and love today. It was a collection of a few professionals who got together to play a cash game. Then afterwards, they nominated the player they wanted to give the 1970 WSOP Main Event title to. It wasn’t decided by a tournament.

But a journalist suggested to the powers that be that following on from that, the decider should be a no limit Texas Hold’em event. And ever since then, that’s exactly what it’s been.

In the early days of the WSOP, it wasn’t unusual to get under a dozen Main Event entrants. Now, it is seen as the highlight of the world poker calendar and regularly sees hundreds of entrants.

What were the earliest hold’em strategy books?

Doyle Brunson was one of the key men on the scene in the early days of poker in Vegas. So it comes as no surprise that this two-time WSOP champ published the first Texas hold’em strategy book. Super/System was self-published and had a huge price tag of $100. Despite all those obstacles, it was a runaway success and is still credited with changing the poker landscape forever.

Another early success was The Biggest Game In Town, all about the World Series of Poker that took place in 1981. Al Alvarez was the man behind this 1983 title and it was this book that made the public sit up and take note of hold’em, and poker in general, for the first time.

Where can I play Texas Hold’em online?

Over the subsequent decades, Texas hold’em has taken on a life of its own. It’s spread across the United States and beyond to become the dominant poker game played almost everywhere. And not just that, it’s featured heavily everywhere from podcasts to blockbuster movies.

And, of course, it’s available to play to so many people with a touch of the button via online poker rooms. So many regions around the world have legal online poker rooms now and it means countless people can play whenever they want. If you’re looking for somewhere with a great amount of action, we’d recommend playing some Texas hold’em cash games or tournaments at bet365. And, to make things even better, you can use this bet365 bonus code to sign up.