There is a dispute among card historians as to the exact origins of the card game known as ‘Poker’. Some claim that it is a derivation of a centuries old Persian game called ‘Nas’, while others insist that it is Chinese in origin started Emperor Mu-tsung. The French imported a Spanish card game called ‘Pochen’ (which they renamed ‘Poque’) into New Orleans which most people agree was the beginning of the game we now know as Poker.

The game of Poker quickly spread up the Mississippi via the Riverboat gamblers of the 1800′s. The earliest written accounts of the card game of Poker was made by Jonathan H. Green where he referred to Poker in his writings as ‘The Cheating Game’, a name that probably refers to both the idea of ‘bluffing’ (a major part of the game and until Poker seldom found in card games) and the amount of money lost to those who were unfortunate enough to lose their money to the riverboat gamblers of the period.

Poker soon became a part of Americana during this country’s Wild West era. There was hardly a saloon or hotel that didn’t have a Poker game in progress either in a backroom or at a table.

Until recently Poker was relegated to a card game that was played at a ‘boy’s night out’ gathering or by professionals at casino games or illegal gambling houses. With the growth of the internet and the sudden rise of Poker variants such as “Texas Hold’ Em” Poker has now found its way into the social mainstream. Now everyone from housewives to professional gamblers are playing the game.

The game of poker has taken off like wildfire in both the United States and abroad. Poker sets are ‘flying’ out of the game stores and many stores have poker tables on back order because of the recent demand. There are now cable channels that are dedicated to the card game, and high stakes games are now televised nationally. Poker has become a true cultural phenomenon; one that the internet has taken full advantage of.

Before the advent of internet gaming sites, a poker player had to sit down at a table with other players in order to wager on a poker game. Since a major part of poker gambling involves ‘bluffing’ (pretending that you have a better hand than you actually have) the visual signals that one player could glean from another (often called ‘tells’) were critical for true gambling success. Now card players can play, wager, and bluff without ever seeing their opponent, shifting the emphasis from physiological clues to psychological pressure.

Currently there are literally hundreds of poker websites which cater to the beginner player all the way up to gambling poker professionals where hundreds of thousands of dollars can be won or lost on a single hand. Most of the online poker sites attempt to create a relaxed and ‘player-friendly’ environment in an attempt to allay the fears of first time players. Most allow new players a large amount of freedom to ‘roam’ the various ‘rooms’ and even observe actual games in progress so that they can get a ‘feel’ for the differences of online play verses the more traditional ‘live’ poker game.

The card game of poker has had an image overhaul. No longer is it a game played by card sharks and men in smoke filled rooms hidden away from the general public. It is now played by housewives, businessmen, and even little old ladies in Pasadena.

Playing poker is not just a game of luck. To win in a game of poker wouldn’t depend on how lucky you are but instead it would depend on how skilled you are. Yes, poker is a game of skill and a game of psychology. Psychological warfare is a common practice on a poker table. This includes bluffing, misdirection and basically not letting your opponent know what you’re up to and avoid being read by your opponent. Once another player knows how you play and has an idea of the strategy you use, it would be all over for you. Every move you make could possibly be predictable by your opponent already. To counter this, it is important to vary your playing style and the hands that you play. This is called poker variations.

Poker variations or varying your hand plays is a crucial skill to learn in playing poker. This would separate the poker players from the poker champions. All good poker players have the skill of varying their hand plays and strategies. Like most of the skills in poker however, you learn this through experience. Actually playing the game is the best way to learn. It’s all about poker variations when it comes to misleading your opponent and keeping yourself safe from being read like a book by the opponent. Basically a player can have only a limited number of hands that he or she can play, however you cannot stick to only one hand to play. For example you’re playing Texas hold ‘em up poker. If you only call a bet whenever you have a king in hand then chances are one of your opponents would notice this and he or she would be able to predict what you have and what you will do. This would ensure you of a loss. However, before you can vary your hand play effectively you would have to hone your other poker skills first. Calculating probabilities and the odds of each hand is a skill that a player must gain in the early stages of learning how to be a good poker player. This is important to poker variations because it would be used for analyzing.

A player must know when to use poker variations. The best times to vary your hand play would be determined by what is currently happening. Analyze the players, the game and the odds then adjust your hand play depending on what you analyze and see. You would have to be able to analyze the situation first before being able to vary your hand play effectively. In a heads up play, it would be far easier to analyze the situation as the other factors have been removed.

There are a lot of skills involved in becoming a good poker player. This is not a simple game of luck like Live Roulette Online or slot machines; this is a contest of knowledge, psychology and skill and it is important to gain all these things first before becoming a true poker champion.

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