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The history of poker is a matter of some debate.  The name of the game likely descended from the [[French language|French]] ''poque'', which descended from the [[German language|German]] ''pochen'' ('to knock'), but it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names.  It closely resembles the [[Iran|Persia]]n game of ''as nas'', and may have been taught to French settlers in [[New Orleans]] by Persian sailors.  It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the [[Renaissance]] game of ''[[primero]]'' and the French ''brelan''.  The [[England|English]] game ''[[Three card brag|brag]]'' (earlier bragg) clearly descended from ''brelan'' and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time).  It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.

The history of poker is a matter of some debate.  The name of the game likely descended from the [[French language|French]] ''poque'', which descended from the [[German language|German]] ''pochen'' ('to knock'), but it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names.  It closely resembles the [[Iran|Persia]]n game of ''as nas'', and may have been taught to French settlers in [[New Orleans]] by Persian sailors.  It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the [[Renaissance]] game of ''[[primero]]'' and the French ''brelan''.  The [[England|English]] game ''[[Three card brag|brag]]'' (earlier bragg) clearly descended from ''brelan'' and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time).  It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.

English actor [[Joseph Crowell]] reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. <ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.sbo360.com/|title=poker betting> Poker Betting|website=sbo360|language=en|access-date=2017-06-11}}</ref> Jonathan H. Green's book, ''An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling'' (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by [[Mississippi]] [[riverboat]]s, on which [[gambling]] was a common pastime.

English actor [[Joseph Crowell]] reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, ''An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling'' (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by [[Mississippi]] [[riverboat]]s, on which [[gambling]] was a common pastime.

Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the [[flush (poker)|flush]] was introduced.  During the [[American Civil War]], many additions were made, including [[draw poker]], [[stud poker]] (the five-card variant), and the [[Straight (poker)|straight]].  Further American developments followed, such as the [[Wild card (poker)|wild card]] (around 1875), [[lowball]] and [[High-low split|split-pot poker]] (around 1900), and [[community card poker]] games (around 1925).  Spread of the game to other countries, particularly in [[Asia]], is often attributed to the [[United States armed forces|U.S. military]].

Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the [[flush (poker)|flush]] was introduced.  During the [[American Civil War]], many additions were made, including [[draw poker]], [[stud poker]] (the five-card variant), and the [[Straight (poker)|straight]].  Further American developments followed, such as the [[Wild card (poker)|wild card]] (around 1875), [[lowball]] and [[High-low split|split-pot poker]] (around 1900), and [[community card poker]] games (around 1925).  Spread of the game to other countries, particularly in [[Asia]], is often attributed to the [[United States armed forces|U.S. military]].