History of Video Poker - The Origins of Video Poker
This article discusses the history of video poker and talks in brief about the way the game of video poker has evolved, from the early days to online video poker.
History of Video Poker – An Overview
There are many forms of poker in the world today. One of the more recent forms of poker is video poker. Video poker is technology-driven, which is one of the reasons the game has been around only a short while: the technology for the game itself is relatively new, compared to the period of time that poker, the original game from which video poker was born, has been around.
In this article we will discuss the history of video poker and talk about the basic kinds of video poker games available today.
History of Video Poker – The Early Days
The game of video poker can trace its origins to the slot machines and also 5-Card Draw Poker. While the game of poker boasts of a long and colorful history, the history of video poker itself is still young. Video poker came into the world of gambling some time in the mid-1970s. This was because prior to that, the technology that drives the game was not yet advanced enough to make it a commercially viable proposition.
The key requirements technically for video poker were a monitor and a solid-state central processing unit (CPU) that worked in tandem. Such a device also had to make sense economically. The first video poker games made their appearance at around the same time as the first personal computers.
History of Video Poker – The First Machines
The first video poker machine came into existence in 1970, when Dale Electronics brought out the Poker-Matic, a video poker machine that casinos in Las Vegas used, but which did not turn out to be too popular.
The first company that introduced a video poker machine that was popular was Si Redd’s Coin Machines, commonly referred to as SIRCOMA in those days. Today it has evolved into International Game Technology (IGT). SIRCOMA brought out Draw Poker in 1979. Needless to say, the video poker machines from the early days in the 1970s were dinosaurs compared to the games available today.
With time, during the 1980s, as people’s familiarity with video poker increased, the game started popping up more frequently at a variety of locations, mostly in casinos. Newer versions of the game, which were easier to understand than the original, early-bird versions were also major contributors to its popularity.
The History of Video Poker – The Current Scenario
From the first days of video poker right until the beginning of the 1990s, video poker machines were coin-operated. That changed in the 1990s, with the introduction of animated video poker machines thanks to further advancements in technology.
Today, video poker has evolved into one of the most popular of all casino games. Players look for it in land casinos as well as online casinos. In Las Vegas, most of the casinos offer video poker to the players who come there. A large number of the local population of Las Vegas play video poker at the local casinos located just off the Las Vegas Strip.