The origins of the game poker are clouded in darkness; no one seems to have any concrete facts as to when or where the first poker game was played. Countless hours have been spent over countless years as to how and when the game was introduced. There are of course hundreds of theories, the most popular opinions are that it was invented by the Chinese around a Millennium or so ago or originated in the Far East in places like Persia as a descendant of the game "As Nas."

The name "Poker" likely derived from the French word "poque," which descended from the German word "pochen" ('to knock'), but it is not certain whether the roots of poker itself lie with the games carrying those names. It bears a strong resemblance to the game of "As Nas," played in Persia, and may have been passed along to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors.

As soon as the full 52-card English deck was introduced (prior, there was a 20 card deck), the flush was actualized. During the time of the American Civil War, many improvements were made, including draw poker, stud poker, and the straight. Further American additions followed, such as the wild card (circa 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (circa 1900), and community card poker games (circa 1925).

Card playing in itself seems to have started in the Far East, spreading via the Middle East to Europe. The earliest recorded games of card playing are from tenth-century China. Their "cards" would have more likely than not, resembled paper, another Chinese invention, and the games were likely a descendant of Chinese dominoes. There is concrete record of the Emperor Mu-tsung playing "domino cards" with his wife in 969 AD. This particular theory is widely held in regards to the origin of poker.

The Mameluke Empire was allegedly responsible for introducing card playing to Europe in the Middle Ages. It stretched across the Middle East, including Egypt, where archeological finds of cards have been discovered dating back to the 12th or 13th century.

The earliest factual records of card playing in Europe can be traced back to the mid-14th century. The notion of card ranking and royalty was initialized by the first European card manufacturers, who were Italian and Spanish. The 52-card deck was introduced from Rouen in France. in the 16th century. It was commonly known as the "French pack," and emerged to England and America.

Another possible explanation for the word poker is that it derived from a version of a sub-world slang word, "poke," a moniker used by petty thieves. Cardsharps who used the 20-card cheating game to relieve a common man from his poke may have used that word among each other, adding an "r" to make it "poker." The idea was that if the sharps used the moniker "poker" in front of their victims, those wise to the underworld slang would not comprehend the change.

There are those who also believe that "poke" probably came from "hocus- pocus", a term widely used by magicians.   The game of poker has come a long way.   What was once a game for seasoned players and serious gaming individuals is now as common as a Monopoly game in most households.   With the advent of poker games on TV, online gaming, and the tournament play from the big tournaments, poker has made its way into Americana's living rooms and as it seems...it is here to stay.

Nobody seems to have concrete facts, and unless there's a major archaeological discovery with players frozen in a catatonic state in the act of playing, the answer is surely to remain in a cloud of darkness...forever