9 Facts You May Not Have Known About Poker

Poker is one of the biggest card games in the world, dominating casinos across the planet as a result of its fascinating blend of luck and skill in play. It evolved from a 19th-century card game that spread worldwide after its discovery in the United States, leading to a surge in player numbers. In today’s world, poker can be played in almost every casino, with dedicated tables, rooms and, even in some cases, tournaments between some of the most elite players. It is a card game that shows no sign of slowing down and has interested millions globally, so today the team at BOYLE Casino will be taking a look at 9 facts that you may not have known about poker. Poker Was Once Considered Illegal Despite the size and popularity of poker around the world in the 1800s, some states in the US completely banned the game, enforcing arrests upon people who played it in public. It was classified as a ‘cheat’s game’ as a result of the deception required to play, and therefore was ultimately banned in a few states’ saloons. In the early 1900s, this would be followed by a ban on all forms of gambling across the US. The Dead Man’s Hand The ‘Dead Man’s Hand’ is a common reference in poker, spoken about when a player has a hand containing two black aces and two black eights, but what people aren't too familiar with is the background to the name. Legend has it that it is named after a man called Wild Bill Hickok, who was shot during a game of poker. His hand at the time consisted of what we now know today as the ‘Dead Man’s Hand’, which has become legend in Poker. The World’s Longest Poker Game Located in Arizona, the Bird Cage Theatre broke the record for the world’s longest game of poker, spanning across 8 years, 5 months and 3 days from 1881 to 1889. The game was played 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without any breaks or stopping, requiring a large number of players and dealers to obtain this record. The First Recorded Poker Game Didn’t Use Chips Casino chips only appeared in the late 1800s, meaning poker games prior to that were played with gold dust, coins, and even carved bone pieces. These were used to keep track of bets before chips had been standardised, with the first ever recorded poker game using golden nuggets. Merit-nov25-1024x160.gif The First World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker is a level of tournament that all competitive poker players wish to reach at some point in their careers. It is an annual event that has taken place since 1970 and has been evolving ever since. Nowadays, the tournament features the best of the best competing against each other in a series of games to determine who the world’s greatest poker player is, but this wasn’t the case for the first event. Only 7 players participated in the original championship in 1970, with competitors simply voting for who they thought was the best, crowning Johnny Moss as the first-ever winner. The Longest Continuous Poker Session An average, friendly game of poker can last 2 to 3 hours, making it somewhat draining, and it can take up to 10 hours to complete at a tournament level. However, in 2010, Phil Laak broke the record for the longest continuous poker game, spanning 115 hours. The over 4-day session was nonstop, with only a few short breaks, until it ended after almost 5 days. Poker Is Studied Scientifically Playing poker requires a high level of skill, especially in risk assessment, deception, and decision-making, which is what attracted scientists to study players and find out how these skills are acquired. These skills are widely studied to understand and improve negotiation and even military tactics. Poker’s Military Links As previously mentioned, poker skills have been scientifically studied to assist in military tactics and were actually used to find recruits during World War II. United States intelligence agents would host fake poker nights, to which people would turn up and show off their bluffing skills and risk-taking, and those with the best ability would be recruited for military duties. The Duplicate Card Poker tournaments are taken extremely seriously, with some of the most elite players travelling the world to compete against each other. A lot of time, preparation, and precautions are taken when it comes to prestigious events, which makes it incredibly rare for a mistake to occur. This wasn’t the case in 2015, when a dealer produced a flop with two identical queens of clubs, which was missed by the players. This incident was broadcast live, leading to the hand being voided and a refund of around $8000