Wild West Poker - a game for everyone

Wild West Poker - a game for everyone

What was poker like in the 19th century in the USA?

The Wild West is an area of the United States located somewhere between Texas and California, but can also extend as far north as Canada, depending on people's understandings. The name comes from the years in the 19th century between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the 20th century.

One of the most popular pastimes back then was playing cards. Most often, men spend their time having reckless sex with prostitutes, drinking in bars, but also playing poker. It is also the most popular game in the Wild West. Poker also fulfills a valuable role, as in addition to filling the time of a large part of the population, it also becomes a source of financial freedom.

In 1849 The California Gold Rush drew settlers and prospectors across the nation, and poker was part of every saloon, bar, or dance hall frequented by these people. At that time, San Francisco even supplanted New Orleans as the center of gambling in the United States. And to describe it better, we're going to compare it to current times, which would mean Atlantic City overtook Las Vegas for gambling.

Even in lawless towns like Deadwood and Leadville, where poker can lead to deadly conflict due to the lack of rules, the game's popularity continues to grow and spread to the most remote regions of the country. Over time, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and even women began to enjoy poker.

However, poker in the Wild West looked quite different from the game today. The most common poker games of the time were played with a smaller deck and more than a few variations on the rules unknown to today's players.

Decks in the Wild West are made up of only twenty cards – ten to ace of each traditional suit. All cards are dealt to the players and the best hand wins. A tie is impossible and there is no draw that would result in better cards in the given player's hand.

The combinations also differ, as due to the small number of cards, the only possible flush is the royal flush, and combinations such as "full" and "threes" are compared to today's full houses and three of a kind. A straight flush does not exist and only appears when the card count is increased to 52.

Strange, perhaps easier, but also quite charming to the people of the time, poker was definitely the most serious activity for the people of the Wild West. Its massive popularity and rapid spread only helped the game reach the level we enjoy today.

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