Five Card Draw Poker History

When you study Five Card Draw Poker history you find out much of the reason why poker is such a popular game. Five Card Draw Poker history involves going back to the middle ages and then the Wild West where five card draw poker and the era went hand in hand.

Although Texas Hold’em has usurped five card draw poker today as the most popular form of poker this wasn’t always the way. Up until the beginning of the 20th century, five card draw poker reigned supreme as it had done so for the past couple of hundred years.

Poker’s roots lie in Asia and Europe but it was the crossing of the Atlantic and into the United States which saw it take off. In the early 19th century it found widespread appeal and as people moved west they took the game with them. It particularly was popular in the goldfields and after a day looking for gold, the miners would spend their evenings playing five card draw poker.

Five Card Draw History notes how the game became a symbol of manliness and toughness especially with the outlaws who prided themselves on their poker playing ability.

When five card draw began there was just one betting round. Players got five cards which were face down and then had to bet. During this time five card draw was played with a deck of just 20 cards which contained 10 to Ace in each of the four suits. There was no draw and given the limited amount of cards there aren’t that many combinations of winning hand you could have. There was one pair, two pair, three of a kind, a full house and four of a kind. The best hand in this form of five card draw was four aces or four kings with an Ace as the kicker. There was no changing of cards as there weren’t enough cards to go round to do so. As five card draw poker history indicates this was a pivotal moment for the game as interest in it was starting to wane. They needed to introduce some changes and innovations or risk being passed by.

Once the full deck was introduced which occurred in the 1820’s, more people could play at once during a hand. This was a pivotal moment in five card draw poker history. Additionally the element of drawing cards was introduced which had a profound effect on the popularity of the game. The flush was brought into the game and thereafter the straight.

It just wasn’t the wild west which saw five card draw poker thrive, it was the riverboats as well. As they sailed down the Mississippi they became massive floating poker rooms, New Orleans was also a center of five card draw poker and people descended to the Big Easy looking for a game.

Five Card Draw Poker History records how during the American Civil War, Five Card Draw poker was very popular among the soliders. Not just the Confederate soldiers but the Union soldiers as well.

According to five card draw poker history, once the 20th century was under way, seven card stud started to develop a following and the novelty of this new game saw five card draw poker leave the limelight. While it hasn’t returned to it since, there is still massive love and affection for the game. Much of the affection resurfaced when online poker rooms sprung up and five card draw poker was a game you could play there. With a new generation of poker player exposed to the game it picked up a new following and in turn a second wind.

Pauline Davis - Poker Expert