Everything you Wanted to Know About Playing Online Video Poker

Online video poker was one of the first casino games to be played online - and actually, the first to be played on any computer. Video poker was available on some of the very first personal computers sold all the way back in the late 1970s. Today, the popularity of online
Video poker has long been a fixture among video poker is exceeded only by online casino games such as slots and blackjack.

The Origin of Video Poker

Besides being the oldest of the online casino games, poker is perhaps the most ancient of all card games. The Persian game of nas is quite similar, and was played in present-day Iran by the Medes and Persians as long ago as 3,000 years. Historians who study casino games believe that the game of nas came into the United States by way of New Orleans, where it was introduced by Persian sailors during the 1820s.

As New Orleans was the major port of entry to the central and western U.S. for decades, it was inevitable that the game that would one day morph into modern online video poker would spread northward along the Mississippi and to the major river ports of Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Davenport and all the way to Minneapolis. From there, poker traveled westward with settlers and eastward along the rails.

Video Poker Today
casino games and other brick-and-mortar establishments that allow gambling. Thanks to Internet technology, card players were actually able to play online video poker against real opponents in real time via Internet Relay Chat, or IRC.

You actually have some choices when playing the cyber version of this venerable card game. You can play against other people in virtual card rooms, play against the house, or download versions of online video poker that you can play alone for entertainment purposes. Aside from the fact that all aspects of play - deals, discards, placing bets, etc. - are done in a virtual electronic setting however, there is really no difference between online video poker and the "real thing."

No Card Sharks Here!

Those who run websites that offer online casino games such as video poker understand full well that reputation is everything. In addition, the largest online video poker sites are now publicly-traded companies that must be accountable to shareholders as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission. Therefore, online video poker is one of the cleanest forms of wagering on the Internet - a game you can play with trust and confidence.