Page 12 - June 2005 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Poker: No-Limit Future Texas Hold’em Has Legions of Players From Kitchens
to Casinos, From the Internet to Mobile Phones! by Bill Burton
Poker! e thoughts of staying in the action for that last card, nishing that ush, and the dreams of winning a huge pot or a seat on a famed tournament can make many
hearts pound! To say that the popularity of poker has exploded would be an understatement. is last year it seems you can’t pick up a newspaper or magazine without reading something about the
“new” poker phenomenon that is taking the world by storm. Cable TV watchers can see a televised poker tournament just about every
day of the week. With all the publicity that poker is receiving someone might get the impression that it is a relatively new game, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The Buck Stops Here
e game of poker dates back to the early nineteenth century. Settlers in the French territory of New Orleans brought a game called poque with them. Played with multiple decks of cards, the game evolved into a single deck game and became known as poker. Around 1820 the riverboats began traveling the Mississippi River carrying passengers and supplies to cities along the river. Poker was brought on board as a way to pass the time during the journey. With a lucrative market of new players to hustle, it was only a matter of time before the con men and hustlers made their way to the boats in search of easy money. ey became know as the “Riverboat Dandies” who made their living playing poker.
Poker moved West with the settlers during the California Gold Rush in the 1850s. ere it found a home in the saloons of the Wild West. It has been said that Wyatt Earp and other gunslingers of the time were professional poker players who learned to shoot as a way to protect themselves while playing poker. Perhaps the best known of them all was Wild Bill Hickok who was killed by Jack McCall while playing poker. e hand he held when he was shot contained two pairs of aces and eights and to this day it is still referred to as the “Dead Man’s Hand.”
Soldiers from both sides of the Mason Dixon Line played poker during the Civil War. Around that time cards were added to each hand and the game of 7-card
stud was born. ose returning from the war brought their love of the game home with them and it grew into a truly
American game. It would became popular in all walks of life from city socialites to the farmers in the Heartland.
Several of the United States presidents were fond on the game. Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoyed playing poker with friends and cabinet members. Harry S. Truman was known for his love of poker and the legendary games played in the White House while he served as president. He had a sign on his desk that said, “ e Buck Stops Here” which was an expressionderivedfrompokerasthe“buck” was a marker or button used to indicate the person whose turn it was to deal. President Nixon was quite an avid poker player and
it was said that he nanced
his rst Senate campaign with poker winnings.
Poker has been played in homes around the country for over a hundred years. Although poker was extremely popular, the occupation of “professional poker player” still held negative connotations. Rather than a game of skill, poker was considered gambling and was illegal in most states. So most of the players making their living playing poker did so by playing in illegal games around the country. It was not considered a “respectable” way to make a living. at would start to change when many of the “road gamblers” made their way to Las Vegas where
gambling was legal. Even more so in the 1970’s when thelegendaryBennyBinionstartedtheWorld Series of Poker at his Horseshoe Casino in
LasVegas.
World Series of Poker
e rst World Series of Poker (WSOP) took place in 1970, but the prelude leading up to the creation of the event took place back in 1949 when Benny Binion was approached by gambler Nicholas“Nick e Greek” Dandolas with an unusual request. Dandolas asked Binion if he could set up a marathon high stakes poker match with the best poker players he knew. Binion set up the match with legendary poker player Johnny Moss with the agreement that the match would be played
where the public could view it.
ey played for ve straight months taking breaks only
tosleep.Duringthemarathonthepublicwouldgatherto watch the two play every form of poker. e match took on all the proportions of a major sporting event. e public loved it and Binion got the idea to hold a yearly tournament that he called the World Series of Poker.
Play Texas Hold’em and other poker games, at the spacious 15-table poker room at Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino.
Page 12 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE June 2005