As a game of both chance and skill, online poker is the ultimate challenge for most gamblers. It’s an unpredictable game filled with fast-paced action and lots of exciting moments. Whether you’re going up against other players on the poker felt or taking on the dealer in Video Poker, this game can lead to some real-money payouts if you play your cards right.
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Poker has a long and interesting history, but the game really took off with the rise of the internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s. With more and more people embracing poker online at Bovada Casino, it’s important to learn as much as you can about the game before playing for real money. There are tons of articles out there on poker strategy, so we’ve put together some interesting poker facts that you probably didn’t know.
#1 – It’s An Official (Mind) Sport
As of 2010, the game of poker was deemed an official mind sport by the International Mind Sports Association. While many poker players may not look too athletic, they are now technically considered athletes just like chess and bridge players. The mind is a powerful tool and poker helps you flex that muscle.
#2 – Early Poker Played With 20-Card Deck
Today’s modern poker decks consist of 52 cards, but it didn’t always work that way. According to poker historians, the game once used a deck with just 20 cards. At that time, poker was only a four-player game, with each player receiving five cards. All of that changed when the 52-card deck was introduced in the 1830s.
#3 – Poker’s Television Debut In 1973
Poker wasn’t always in the spotlight and was normally kept out of sight in casinos and backdoor card rooms. That began to change in 1973 when CBS Sports became the first network to televise a poker tournament. CBS was clearly ahead of the curve as you can now find poker tournaments being aired on a variety of networks.
#4 – Odds of Getting Pocket Pair Is 6%
There’s nothing quite like that rush of excitement when you take a peek at your hole cards and find a nice pocket pair waiting for you. Since the game of poker is all about odds of probability, you should know that this occurrence only comes about 6% of the time, statistically speaking.
#5 – Nixon Funded Political Career With Poker
Did you know that former US President Richard Nixon was a skilled poker player? The infamous politician was apparently quite the rounder during his military days in the Navy. Legend has it that he used $5,000 in poker winnings to finance his very first political campaign in 1946 to run for Congress.
#6 – Poker Went Digital In 1998
The internet has had an impact on nearly everything in today’s world and poker is no exception. The very first real-money poker game to be played online took place on January 1, 1998. The world of online poker has since grown in leaps and bounds, with Bovada now offering a variety of poker games and stakes for all types of players.
#7 – Odds Of Royal Flush Are 649,740 To 1
As poker’s ultimate hand, the Royal Flush occurs when you make a five-card hand with a 10, J, Q, K and A of the same suit. If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen this on the poker table, it’s because it only hits about once every 650,000 hands.
#8 – There’s A Poker Tournament Played Underwater
If you think you’ve seen it all at the poker table, you probably haven’t played in the Lady Luck Underwater Poker Tournament. In this unique annual event takes place in Florida and has the final six players dive deep below the surface to play out the final table.
#9 – The Inaugural WSOP Was Decided By Vote
The WSOP Main Event is the most famous poker tournament in the world and features thousands of entrants every year. Most poker fans don’t realize that the very first WSOP event in 1970 had just 7 entrants and that Johnny Moss was actually voted in as that year’s champion by his fellow players.
#10 – Texas Hold ‘Em Has 133 Million Card Combinations
No matter how much you play, you probably haven’t seen all of the different possible card combinations that are out there in Texas Hold ‘Em. With approximately 133 million seven-card combinations, that would take a lot of hours at the poker table.
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There we have 10 poker facts you probably didn’t know. If you did know all of these, then you can definitely consider yourself a poker expert. So, next time you are having a conversation at the poker table or simply chatting with your mates, pull out one of these facts to impress to them.
