The History of Texas Hold 'Em
Texas Hold 'Em is undoubtedly the most popular variant of poker today and it is even arguable if it is the main reason why poker as a whole is enjoying unprecedented popularity now. The popular poker variant is now played everywhere from private games to enormous organized competitions such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour.
With this immense popularity it is good to know how the prevalent poker variant has made its way to the people's psyche through the years from its simple beginnings as a nondescript poker variation to become the leading poker variation that it is today.
There is much contention as to where and how the game came to be but there is a consensus that the game originated from Texas, which is no surprise since one can tell that by just looking at its name. The history of the poker variant is said to start at the town of Robstown in Texas around the latter part of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century.
The game did not quite take off after its inception. Only in the 1920s when it reached the city of Dallas in Texas did it reached a wide following among poker players. Card players such as cowboys and miners started playing the poker variation alongside their drinking in bars all over that city which exposed it all the more to a wider range of people.
The game then reached the gambling Mecca of Las Vegas through the efforts of a handful of Texan gamblers that includes gambling greats Amarillo Slim and Doyle Brunston. In the early years of its introduction in Las Vegas, the game was played only in the Golden Nugget Casino where it did not attract much attention as the casino was not that popular to begin with. The game only caught on when the popular Dunes Casino invited professional players to play the game in their turf.
The game was first featured as an event in a
poker tournament in 1969 in the second annual Gambling Fraternity Convention. The convention was renamed as the World Series of Poker the following year after it was acquired by Benny and Jack Binion who transferred the venue of the event to their own Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas.
This acquisition led to the prominence of the poker variant as the No Limit variant of game was chosen as the main event for the World Series of Poker. The World Series grew popular steadily through the years since it was established. With eight players participating in 1972, the number grew to 200 in 1991 and up to 9,000 participants in 2006. No one can be sure which of the two benefited from the other but the World Series of Poker and Texas Hold 'Em has undoubtedly complemented each other in terms of generating awareness and popularity.