Article by Paul O’Donnell

Taking into consideration how popular of a card Texas Hold ‘Em is, it is, compared to other card games, a relatively new game. There isn’t a great deal of information about the actual beginnings of this much loved card game, however it’s roots can be taken back to the somewhat unsurprising place of Texas.

Played solely throughout the state of Texas for over half a century, it wasn’t until the late 1960′s when Texas Hold ‘Em’s popularity began to reach new heights.

Taken to a Las Vegas casino in 1967 by a gang of card players from Texas, it can almost be pin-pointed that from this moment on, the moment that now famous gamblers such as Amarillo Slim brought Texas Hold ‘Em to Las Vegas, that the game would be the most popular form of poker the world over.

It’s surprising to realize that for a number of years, only one casino in the whole of Las Vegas actually played Texas Hold ‘Em. It took two or three years for the game to really take, in terms of stakes, and by the start of the 1970′s, it was fast becoming known as a high rolling, thinking man’s card game.

By the end of the 1980′s, Texas Hold ‘Em was played in all casinos in Las Vegas. The professinoal players had were now regulars in each casino and needed some where else to play. California was the first to jump on the Texas Hold ‘Em bandwagon, allowing the card game to be played all over the state from 1990. Other states soon followed suit and understandbly, it didn’t take long for the popularity of the game to be taken abroad and by the early 1990′s, Texas Hold ‘Em was a regular card game in most European casinos.

Whilst Texas Hold ‘Em was played worldwide by the mid 1990′s and making a lot of casinos a lot of money, the famous ‘Texas Hold ‘Em Explosion’ was about to make even more casinos and businessmen more money than they could ever imagine.

Around the turn of the millennium, Texas Hold ‘Em began to be popularised all over the world. Not only due it being played in casinos, but because it seemed to be a ‘cool’ thing to play. Television adverts were showing celebrities playing Texas Hold ‘Em poker. It was mentioned in films and the Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments were being shown on television for the first time in history. However, the most important factor relating to the Texas Hold ‘Em Explosion is the invention of online Texas Hold ‘Em. Allowing people to play the now fantastically popular game at any time on any day from any place in the world, Texas Hold ‘Em’s popularity surged to such an extent that millions of people were now playing it worldwide. For the companies who were ready for this rush – and not many were – they stood to make millions upon millions of pounds, simply by offering a popular card game online.

The game of Texas Hold ‘Em is a fascinating one to play. It involves both skill and luck and both patience and a cool head. Playing online or offline, Texas Hold ‘Em will have you gripped and sitting on the edge of your seat from the start.

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