The origins of poker:

The group of card games collectively known as Poker developed over the past thousand years. The precise origin of Poker remains a matter of debate.
As the game developed independently in different parts of the world, there is probably no single point of origin. A game of domino cards played by the Chinese around the eleventh century is the earliest historical reference to a similar game. The Egyptians of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries employed playing cards in similar games characterized by placing bets on the ranked, chance arrangements of cards.
The Spanish played a similar card game called Primero during the sixteenth century. Primero is known to have involved the practice of bluffing by players holding an otherwise losing hand - another common characteristic of Poker games today. Primero may have been introduced into Spain through trade with the Egyptians. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Primero evolved into the popular French game of Poque, and the German game of Pochen. Originating about 1526, Primero is widely recognized today as the mother of modern Poker. Poque spread to the New World as the French colonized Canada during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. French-Canadians who later migrated to New Orleans brought their beloved game. Poque proliferated outward from New Orleans to the rest of the country as America was colonized. Poque, in turn, gained great popularity with gambling enthusiasts throughout the United States. A variant of Poque, called The Cheating Game, drew the most interest.
The Cheating Game soon became known as Poker. Poker became synonymous with the culture of the America Wild West as saloon owners introduced Poker tables in an effort to attract more business. A Poker table existed in almost every saloon nationwide by the time of the Civil War in the 1860’s. Poker gained further popularity with Civil War soldiers seeking camaraderie and a respite from battlefield stress. New variants were introduced throughout these decades. The deck itself changed in 1875 with the introduction of the Joker card.
Following a relative lull in popularity during the twentieth century, Poker has seen a resurgence in interest over the past decade. Televised professional Poker brought the game into the consciousness of new generations.
Today, Poker is often played by small groups at home with chips, but no monetary wagers. Poker is now widely played on computers as technology has made realistic virtual Poker possible. No longer simply a high stakes Casino game, Poker appears here to stay for generations to come.