World in Sport

Meanwhile, back in the 1930s a group of shady characters gather together for a game of poker. They have everything to lose – but there is considerably more to win. Inevitably, the atmosphere grows tense – and the cheat, shoot and kill their way to the money – an enormous pile of dollar bills.

Of course, Partypoker has moved on a long way since then, but there is still a thrill to be had playing without the shedding of blood. Culturally the words associated with the game have become an important part of the English language.  You have probably used them yourself – ace up your sleeve, call your bluff – and the chips are down among many other words and phrases with poker at their heart.

Poker is so embedded in our culture that you would think the game was many hundreds of years old. In fact, the first recorded use of the word (and a description of the game) goes back to the US in the middle of the eighteenth century. It had spread throughout Mississippi by 1800 – which is why it is so often associated with southern river boats and by then it was almost as sophisticated a game as it is today.

Until about 1830 the game was played with a deck of just twenty cards.  Soon after, however, the 52 card deck was introduced along with the flush and the draw.  Later in the 1860s stud poker was introduced and the wild card made its debut.  So, although our language is littered with words associated with the game, in its modern form it has only been with us for 150 years. You could say that poker has made quite an impression in its short history.