How Poker Has Evolved Over the Last Century

Everyone knows what poker is. It’s one of the all-time classic casino games that has defined gambling culture. From James Bond movies to the famous Las Vegas Strip, poker has some strong associations, which is what makes it so iconic.

Of course, poker has evolved a lot over the last century, and this guide is going to explain exactly how.

Whether you’re a diehard poker fanatic or someone who is looking to start playing card games, you’ll be interested to learn how poker has evolved. Let’s take a closer look.

You Can Now Play Poker Online

During the classic days of poker, the only way to play it was in land-based casinos or private games with your friends where everyone gathered around a table. Oh, those were the days.

Now, everything has changed – and a lot of it is good. The biggest change of them all is that you can now play poker online.

When it comes to internet-based poker, you can either play video poker (which is like slots) or normal poker where you get to play against other people.

Interestingly, you can even play crypto poker, which is where you gamble with cryptocurrency rather than traditional currency. For modern people with a taste for the future, this is something you might want to try.

By 2050, it’s highly likely that all online gambling – including poker – will be done using cryptocurrencies. Hopefully, flying cars will be here by then, too.

There Are Three Main Types of Poker

Poker has evolved a lot since its inception. Now, there are three main types of poker:

• Draw Poker: This is where players a dealt a complete hand (which is hidden) before then trying to improve it throughout the game. The most popular type of draw poker is ‘five-card draw’, which is played in most land-based and online casinos.
• Stud Poker: In this type of poker, players receive a combination of face-up and face-down cards across multiple rounds.
• Community Card Poker: Here, each player has an incomplete hidden hand which is then combined with face-up cards on the table that everyone can see. The most popular type of community card poker is ‘Texas Hold’Em’.

Everyone has their personal favourite, but draw poker is the most popular.

Poker Strategies Have Become More ‘Aggressive’

Back in the old days, poker strategies were very slow-paced and sophisticated. Essentially, it was a game of patience and who has the best poker face.

In 2022, poker is a lot different. Now, it’s all about playing with an aggressive strategy to throw other players off and force them into making quick decisions.

You see this a lot in games when players immediately dive into ‘raise wars’ right before the flop. This is often in the shape of a 5-bet, which sees a third re-raise in the betting round before the flop. This used to be rare, but now it’s incredibly common.

It’s Popular to Stream Poker on Twitch and YouTube

Lastly, poker is now streamed a lot online through the Twitch and YouTube platforms.

This has helped to draw more attention to poker and grow its global reach. There’s a big interest in spectating poker, and this is likely going to continue in the future.