Thursday, 25 September 2008 03:33

The game of Texas Hold’em is a relatively recent addition to the world of poker and gambling but despite its short history, there is no actual solid evidence as to its true origins. As far as is known, the game is believed to have originated from Texas, although the earliest known version of this game was reputedly played in the early 1900s in Robstown, Texas. Texas Hold’em is said to have arrived in Dallas, Texas, in 1925.

The word “Poker” is derived from the German word “pochen”’, which literally means “to knock.”

Texas Hold’em is then believed to have been introduced to casinos in Las Vegas by Texan gamblers and card players including Doyle Brunson, Crandell Addington and Amarillo Slim. Addington later wrote about the history of the no-limit version of Texas Hold'em for Doyle Brunson's Super System 2.

The game gained in popularity around 1970 which is the same year that the Las Vegas Horseshoe Hotel and Casino was opened by Benny Binion. Its popularity and the manner in which the game can be played evolved over time. With modern advances in technology, millions of people now have access to Texas Holdem via the Internet or on their cell phone.

Texas Hold’em soon became the main event at poker tournaments. This began with the acceptance of a small invitational Poker tournament by Binion from Tom Morehead of the Riverside Casino. Binion focused on such methods as rapidly increasing antes and blinds in order to produce a winner in a short space of time.

In the World Series Poker tournament in 1972, a paltry 8 players took part. Thirty years later, this figure has inflated to 800. With the increasing popularity of televised poker tournaments, Texas Holdem continues to grow in popularity.