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Something About Its History

The great game of Draw Poker is as old as the world itself, but it has not always been known by its present name. It has enjoyed many aliases. In the olden days people called it all kinds of names, just as do petulant persons who lose when playing it today. There is really very little in a name. The grand old game would sound just as sweet by any other name-to the fellow who wins. Adam and Eve played the game with leaves. They used pebbles for chips. The Bible speaks of him as "seeing" her, and also of Cain "raising" his "hand" against Abel. It is pretty well established that Cain tried to "fill" out a "four-flush" by shaping a fig leaf to represent a maple leaf. He was caught just as he was about to sweep in a big pile of pebbles which had been lost on the hand. This was the first recorded attempt at cheating. Previous to this everything had been on the square.

Noah wanted to play poker on the Ark but was unable to do so because there was no deck, It is wrong to play poker-the way some men play it.

POKER-HISTORY Early in the fourteenth century the game was called Il Frusso, possibly after some opera singer who had begun to monkey with cards in the hopes of increasing the pittance earned by his voice.

Later the game was known as Primiera, and as Primero it appeared in Spain, contemporaneously with the Spanish or Kangaroo Walk. As Prime the same game is mentioned by Rabelais, one of the most pleasantly remembered writers of classics. Throughout France the game was played in varying forms as L'Ambigue and Le Mesle'.

It was poker which led directly to the discovery of America. After unsuccessfully trying to touch everybody in Spain for money enough to equip his expedition, Columbus had to appeal to Queen Isabella and she furnished him with the necessary funds. So you see if it had not been for the "Queen" America might still be nothing but a breeding spot for the Indian, the Buffalo and other necessary adjuncts to wild west shows. On the way over Columbus played poker continually with members of his crew, but the wind blew so hard they had to attach weights to the cards to prevent them being blown overboard. He intended to teach the game to the Indians All great men are great poker players, but lots of great poker players quit right there.

POKER-HISTORY when he landed and "clean" them up. He abandoned the idea of "cleaning" them up after one glance and nobody has ever undertaken the task since, either with poker or anything else.