Many people think of online poker as a distinctively American institution. In some peoples’ minds it is right up there with apple pie and the Fourth of July as symbols of the American identity. While it is definitely true that most of the high stakes poker now a day’s takes place on American soil, this was not always the case. Historians debate the exact origins as poker as we know it, but the one thing that they can agree on is the fact that it started somewhere that was not America. Poker was brought first to New Orleans in the 19th century by Frenchmen who had learned the game in their home country.

online poker quickly caught on in the United States, especially among the crowds on the river boats that traveled the Mississippi. The French game became an American institution when it came off the river boats into the gaming rooms in the cities. Land casinos put their own distinctive twist on the game by using a full 52 card deck. Once it reached the casinos in the major cities there was no turning back. Soon everyone was playing this classic game, not just former French servicemen. By the end of the 19th century, poker had become an American institution.