Card playing arrived in Italy and Spain from Egypt via trade routes by the late 14th century. Most early decks consisted of just 20 cards. The early Italian and Spanish decks used what is today known as Latin suits: Swords, Batons/Clubs, Cups, and Coins.

Early English decks were Latin-suited as well, but they gradually adopted the familiar Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs suits that France used on their cards since 1480 and which we use today.

Even though Poker is the most popular cards game in the world, its origins are not completely known. The name poker is also unknown and may come from various languages. Some historians think that it comes from an eighteenth-century French game called poque. The French who settled New Orleans in the 15th century played this game. Others mention the German game pochspiel, where there's also an element of bluffing, where players would indicate whether they wanted to pass or open by rapping on the table and saying, "Ich Poche!"

Poker was played in New Orleans way back in 1829 with a deck of 20 cards and four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. There was no draw, and bets were made on a very limited range of combinations: one pair, two pair, triplets, ‘full’ - so called because it is the only combination in which all five cards are active - and four of a kind.

The game had spread from New Orleans to the rest of the United States by gamblers playing on Mississippi riverboats. Poker became an inseparable part of the Wild West and the frontier pioneer ethos, which consisted largely of travelers, adventurers and speculators. Gambling suited the speculator's and traveler's individualistic and risk-taking traits.

In 1910, Nevada made it a felony to run a betting game. The Attorney General of California declared that draw poker, unlike stud poker, was based upon skill and therefore immune to anti-gambling laws.

In the early 20th century, Poker became the most popular card game in the world. The game was no longer a game of cheaters and professional gamblers – it became known as a celebrated skill game, a sport, which is played worldwide. Professional poker players are no longer considered shady but have a superstar celebrity status, much more akin to a professional athlete or movie star than an infamous outlaw.

The game's jargon has become a part of American culture and English culture. Phrases like "poker face", "up the ante", "call the bluff", "wild card", "cash in", "stack up", "when the chips are down", "beats me", "ace in the hole" and others are a part of the English language and are used daily in conversations by people who may not be aware of their poker origins.

With the World Series of Poker, followed by other poker tournaments such as the World Poker Tour (WPT), European Poker Tour (EPT) and others, heralding the coming of poker to the attention of the world in 1970, the game's popularity has been soaring.

Before the invention of the hole-card camera ("pocket cam"), poker was broadcast on television on a semi-regular basis for 30 years. ESPN started airing the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event every year in the United States as a one hour show. The shows were not highly successful or entertaining because viewers could not know what cards the players had. The show's commentators instead tried to make educated guesses as to what cards they were holding.

Televised tournaments, aided with the invention of the hole-card camera, turned poker into a spectator sport and allowed viewers to follow the action and drama of the game and Poker became an inseparable part of modern culture.

Poker has become immensely popular in the real world with the help of the virtual world. With the growth of the Internet and numerous online poker rooms, poker players found the perfect place to play, without even leaving their homes.

It may not seem like it, but online poker is still relatively new. It started in 1998 with the first online poker room, Planet Poker, which has since become a relatively small poker room. In 1998 Planet Poker had the privilege of being the only online poker room for a short period of time.

Online poker burst onto the world in 2003 when poker was broadcast on mainstream television in the US. The World Poker Tour debuted on the Travel Channel in March of 2003, and became the highest rating show in Travel Channel's history. The World Series of Poker also had high ratings on ESPN.

That same year, Chris Moneymaker, a 32-year-old American accountant, entered the WSOP through a $39 online satellite tournament, won the $10,000 buy-in main event and took home the first prize of $2.5 million. This Cinderella story drew millions to play poker online and perhaps get their chance at stardom.

Today, many major pro poker players have accepted and adopted the online poker medium. They now endorse the prominent poker rooms and also play in them. Full Tilt Poker enjoys the endorsement of big names such as Phil Gordon, Erik Seidel, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and others. Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, David "Devilfish" Ulliot and Annie Duke endorse UltimateBet and poker legend Doyle Brunson even opened his own poker room – Doyle's room.