Gambling History

Gambling has been around since ancient times, existing in every known historical period and in every part of the world. What most people don’t know, however, is that many of the most popular casino games today are actually versions of older games. Forms of poker and keno, for example, have been around for centuries. Here is a brief look at their origins:

Poker

Although nobody can be totally sure about the origins of poker, many historians believe that the game’s roots lie either in a 16th century Persian game called As Nas, or in the European card game of Primero, which was popular in England in the mid-to-late 16th century. As Nas was played with 30 cards and bluffing was an important part of the game. Primero was very similar to modern poker, involving players who bet on hands such as pairs, three of a kind, and three of the same suit, then known as a “flux.”

By the 18th century, the betting aspects of Primero and the bluffing aspects of As Nas had combined in several European games, including the English “brag,” the German “pochspiel,” and the French “poque.” These games led directly to the modern game of Poker.

Keno

According to ancient Chinese scrolls, Cheung Leung of the Han Dynasty introduced a number game very similar to modern keno around 200 BC. Cheung needed a way to finance his army during wartime, since his citizens were tired of defraying the escalating military costs, so the emperor decided to raise money by running a lottery. This numbers game, which was extremely similar to modern keno, was a success throughout China.

Keno was later used to help fund the building of the Great Wall of China. The game was also called the White Pigeon Game because pigeons were used to send winning numbers from keno games in the cities to small towns.