Read About Video Poker History On NetBet.Org
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100%Gambling online is one of the world’s favourite pastimes, and one of the most popular games played in online casinos is video poker. This is probably due to the fact that poker is one of the world’s most famous card games, and so its translation into video form has proved to be just as popular. However, lots of people don’t know anything about the history of the video poker game. So, with that in mind, here’s a very short history of video poker, starting with its inception in the 1970s.
Beginnings – Old Style Video Poker
In America in the 1970s, the personal computer (or PC) was just coming into being. Although there had been military and academic computer networks around since the early 1960s, by the mind ’70s it was becoming more likely that personal computers would soon be a reality. At the same time, some gaming experts were also working on a video poker game, based on the early computers of this era. An innovative programmer called Si Redd patented the first of these machines under his company SIRCOMA, which then became International Game Technology in 1979. Their first video poker game was called Draw Poker, and was released in the same year that the company changed its name.
Rapid rise in popularity
Initially, video poker games were built like slot machines, and were extremely popular in off strip casinos in Las Vegas, as they offered better odds than real poker, and so were ideal for less affluent gamblers. However, news of the game soon spread across America, and video poker fast became very popular throughout the 1980s. This was partly due to the fact that many people that wanted to play poker in casinos felt intimidated by the big tables, and wanted the comfort and ease of playing on their own in a casino environment.
Today – Free Video Poker Slots
With the advent of online casinos, video poker has made the transition to being played online. Now, it is one of the most popular games in online casinos, and is even starting to supersede real poker in terms of players. What’s more, the popularity of video poker games is still rising, and looks set to do so for some time.
Video Poker derives from both slot machines and the game of poker. While the history of poker has yet to be definitively documented - there is not even agreement whether the name comes from the French 'poque,' the German 'Pochspiel' or the Hindu 'pukka' - the earliest known references to poker were made in 1834 by Jonathan Green who observed the development of the game on riverboats on the Mississippi River.
Coin-operated gaming mechanisms were first developed in the Eastern part of the United States in the late 1800s. They rapidly became popular in the cigar stores and saloons of San Francisco. The early drop card machines made use of fifty cards on five drums with the Jack of Hearts and Ten of Spades generally being those cards eliminated from the deck. "That stinks!," you'll say, and you're right, but some players got their own back by using counterfeit coins.
Many quaint customs made the early history of poker machines colourful; for instance, it wasn't unusual for a Royal Flush to pay either 100 cigars or drinks. The acknowledged "pure" of the whole industry was Charles August Fey, whose three-reel Liberty Bell of 1899 was a harbinger of slots to come. In his factory at 406 Market Street, the 6-Way Paying Teller was produced; it featured 5 rows of drop cards. All but one of these "bell" machines were destroyed in the earthquake and fire of 1906; that one was rescued by Charlie Fey himself and can be seen in Reno in his grandsons' Liberty Belle Saloon and Restaurant.
Mechanical poker machines went in and out of fashion after that time. 1964 marks the beginning of the age of electronic games; Nevada Electronics came out with a solid state "21" machine. By the mid-70's, with other companies in on the action, solid state roulette, horse racing and poker machines were all available. Dale Electronic's Poker-Matic met with the most success and was ubiquitous in Vegas.
The Fortune Coin Company built a video bell slot machine in 1975; sluggish acceptance by the casinos led to its being converted to a draw poker machine, which took off. William "Si" Redd became a kingpin of the new industry; his A-1 Supply company acquired the pioneer video game producer Nutting Enterprises which manufactured BlackJack and Draw Poker consoles. A-1 Supply eventually changed its name to International Game Technology; to this day it is a giant in the field. The invention of the video chip in the mid-70's facilitated the development of video poker machines, which have since proliferated and became a mainstay of many casinos.
