There seem to be different opinions on the origin of Poker. But most game historians believe that its present day form is derived from the elements of many different games, as there seems to be no clear or direct early ancestor of the game.
The history of Poker states that the name, 'Poker', probably came from an 18th-century French game called Poque. According to other school of thought, the name is also derived from a German betting game, Pochspiel. While yet according to some other historians, a possible source for Poker's name is the Hindu word, pukka.. There are still some others who also believe that "poke" probably came from "hocus-pocus," a term widely used by magicians.
One popular belief in the Poker history is that a game similar to poker was first invented by the Chinese sometime before 969 A.D. There are evidences of the Emperor Mu-tsung having played "domino cards" with his wife on New Years Eve.
The 12th & 13th centuries in Egypt have seen people to have used a form of playing cards in the history of Poker. In 16th century Persia “Ganjifa” or “Treasure Cards” were used for a variety of betting games. This is looked upon as one of the likely ancestors of the game of Poker. The Persians played “As Nas” which utilized 25 cards, rounds of betting and hierarchical hand rankings.
In the 16th century, a Spanish game called “Primero” which involved three cards being dealt to each player, evolved into a German game named “Pochen” and a French game named “Poque” became very famous in the 17 & 18th centuries.
Poker history reveals that it was the English actor Joseph Cromwell, who made the earliest references to a game called Poker. He described a card game being played in New Orleans in 1829. Some historians say Green was the first to refer to this "cheating game" by the name of 'Poker'.
Before 1970s, Poker was not found at many casinos because of the difficulty of keeping out cheaters. The 1980s and 90s saw casinos choosing Blackjack and Roulette over Poker. But improved security techniques, heavy promotion and tournament brought renewed interest in the Poker game.
Poker looks like it is here to stay, with its widespread popularity, even soaring high in the age of computers and internet. The relative ease of logging on and playing with other poker players from around the world, there is no time like the present to join the poker craze.