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History of Poker

There are as many opinions on the origins of poker as there are combinations of hands. Card games from Persia ("As Nas"), India ("Ganjifa"), France ("Poque"), and Germany ("Pochen") are all believed to be forerunners of the modern game.

World Poker Tour has turned poker into a sporting event that draws the young and old, men and women and people of all nationalities into the game – it has reshaped the face of poker and has raised the competitive bar to a new level.

Modern poker was born on the Mississippi and carried up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers by steamboat, quickly spreading into the interior by wagon and train, then heading west with the California gold rush.