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The origin of a certain thing depends heavily on the written or verbal recorded account of events. There are cases of things that do not have formal accounts of history and origin primarily because nobody thought it is important to take note of during that time. The process of origination rarely takes place except when the event becomes notably important in the long run.

Just like the case of poker, wherein it does not have a distinct origin and time frame due to lack of records about when it took place and who developed the game. There were speculations that Poker might have started from a single table or from a group of players in a certain area but may have eventually been passed on to some groups of a different locality such that no one knows for sure who really started the game.

However, there have been some facts regarding poker, though based on surmise, which can at least take into account the historical background of the game.

The history of poker was said to have originated from a former French territory based on New Orleans some time between 1810 and 1825. This game of gambling started out from gambling saloons and famous floating saloons know as the Mississippi steamers.

During those times, poker was known to be a game with four players having five cards each from a deck of 20 cards. Because of its name, early players of the game thought they were continuing the habit of playing a similar game known as Poque, a French card game. Though, most historians claimed that poker’s ultimate antecedent is the German game called Poch or Pochen, which started during the 15th century.

Unlike poker, poque was played by a maximum of 6 players with 32 or 36 cards in the game. The transition that took place, changing from 32 cards to 20 cards played with four players, might have been influenced by the French vying game of Bouillotte or by the contemplated Persian game of As-nas.

Hence, from 1830s onwards, poker had adopted its anglicized name and eventually spread from all parts of the United States. With a growing number of players, the game adopted the idea of having 52 cards so as to accommodate a larger number of players.

In the earliest form of poker, there was no draw, and bets were usually made on a limited series of combinations. These varieties of combinations can be one pair, two pair, triplets, four of a kind, and full, which is the only combination that has five active cards.

During those times, the adaptation of a 52-card poker gave way to the introduction of another kind of combination known as flush, though straight was yet unknown.

Between 1830 and 1845, Poker was more and more played by an increasing number of players. It was during this time when the draw was then introduced. However, the term draw was already known in poker’s English counter-part, Brag. The addition of the draw and the flush combination boost the pleasure of the game, thus, a second betting interval was made.

Another great development of poker was the introduction of “Jack Pots.” In the old poker, jack pots refer to the condition that a player is not allowed to open unless he has a pair of jacks or better, at the same time the player is obliged to open if he already has it.

The purpose of introducing jack pots on poker was primarily to enforce control on the game by lashing out rowdy players who would bet on anything. This eventually killed the idea of bluffing or bluff from which poker was originally known.

It was in 1864 when the combination of straight sequence or rotation was introduced when playing poker. With the addition of straight, an additional rule was mentioned wherein a straight and a flush combination will undeniably outranks a full combination. The addition of straight in poker was an exhilarating development because, as experts say, without straights and straight prediksi bola flushes, the only highest possible hand is four aces or four kings and an ace kicker. In the poker world, this type of combination at hand is not just unbeatable but cannot even be matched or tied.

Because of these developments, poker consistently progressed and rapidly expanded by popularity. This, in turn, made poker as the greatest American pastime. Consequently, poker evolved from gambling to a game of skills.

And so, even with so many outrageous allegations regarding the ancient times of poker and its origin, poker is undeniably an ultimate classical relic of the American history.

SuperFighter hit New York City on Monday – its the latest craze. Three fights, four rounds, eight contestants – its four hours of mayhem, Australian style.

Stephen Duval, CEO of Australia-based Superfighter, met with the media to talk about his dream – its a doozy. Duval invented an eight-man eliminator that offers the winner a whopping $5 million. Fighters cant even get their contracted minimums, which can be as low as $5,000 a fight, so this is better then lotto. The losers? They collect the $200K minimum.

Heres the lineup, so far:

Chris Byrd (39-3-1 20 KOs) The former IBF heavyweight champion. His style has put more people to sleep then Nyquil. Byrd will try to peck his way to victory. But after the beating he took against Wladimir Klitschko, and unofficially losing four of his last five bouts, I wouldnt bet on him with your money.

ONeil Bell (26-1-1 24 KOs) The current cruiserweight champion. He crushed French tank Jean Marc Mormeck in a war. A big plus for Bell is that he can crack. But he never has faced a heavyweight, and he takes too many punches flush. Against a heavy it might be beddy-bye for Bell. Bet on him getting eliminated by the third round.

The Nigerian Nightmare Samuel Peter (26-1 22 KOs) – Hes George Foremans pick to take it all. In a four-rounder, hes the most dangerous opponent. But can he carry his power through four hours, 12 rounds and three opponents? Odds should be in his favor.

Steve USS Cunningham (19-0 10 KOs) Hes the #1 IBF cruiserweight and walks around at 195 lbs. Cunningham showed a dynamite chin by taking everything Guillermo Jones could offer. If hes matched up with Samuel Peter, his ship sails. Otherwise, he has enough boxing skills to dazzle his way to the finals.

Tye Fields (36-1 33 KO) I agree with Max Kellermans analysis: At 6-9, 293 lbs., and not so skilled, he’s an attraction, not a contender. Hes a long shot.

Shannon Briggs (45-4 40 KOs) Since his loss to Jameel McCline, he has fought every club fighter from New York to Arizona. BUT hes got the experience, he can fight and has underrated hand speed. He might be the man to beat. I see him making the final

Alexander Povetkin (7-0 5 KOs) I think Povetkin is Russian for pulverized. Hes too raw to best any of the combatants. Hes a huge underdog and doesnt make it past the first round.

#8 – OPEN

Maybe we should put odds on this circus even getting off the ground. Just think back to Cedrick Kushners Fist Full of Dollars? Can you recall who won? Enough said

Clottey Chasing Margarito

Joshua Clottey (28-1, 20 KOs) is ranked #4 by the WBC, #5 by the WBO and #7 by the IBF. Just as the high ratings indicate, Clottey believes he is capable of beating the best welterweights in the world, and having reeled off nine consecutive victories the star from Ghana has his eyes set on WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito (33-4, 24 KOs).

Im determined to become a world champion,” Clottey says. “I have the skills, work ethic and heart to be a champion. Ive dealt with many hardships throughout my career, and getting a shot at Margarito and the title would make it all worth it. This is what I have been working toward my whole life. I have a lot of respect for Antonio Margarito as a champion. I know he always wants to fight the best. I am the best welterweight contender in the world. Margarito may want to fight an easier fight right now, but if Antonio wants to stay at welterweight, he can run, but he cant hide.

Floyd Mayweather turned down an $8 million dollar offer to face the WBO champion, so Margarito is running out of defense options.

In a recent FightBeat.com interview, Bob Arum confirmed a Clottey matchup: Mayweather has shown reluctance to fight Margarito, so we are thinking about putting Margarito-Clottey on the undercard of Rahman-Maskaev clash. That fight takes place Aug. 12.

Are you ready for WWIII?

Diego Chico Corrales (40-2 33 KOs) and Jose Luis Castillo (52-7-1 46 KOs) are revving their engines to produce another fight berita bola of the year.

If youve never seen their first fight, GET IT! Chico was knocked down twice in the 10th round and came back some 60 seconds later to win it. Check out garyshawproductions.com to view Round 10. Just amazing.

Their second bout was marked with controversy. Castillo didnt make weight and refused to even try. Castillo was fined for this stunt, but Team Corrales agreed to fight anyway.

The result: Corrales on his back.

The weight issue proved to be a mistake, something even promoter Gary Shaw admits:

I’ll never do again what I did in this fight,” Shaw said. “If the contract calls for 135 pounds it will be at 135 pounds.”

The fight takes place June 3. Stay tuned next week for my breakdown and prediction. Sportsbook has Castillo-220, Corrales 180

Barrera Wars with Juarez

As the final bell rang, he walked back to his corner with swollen eyes, a bloody nose and probably a broken jaw – and that was the winner!

Marco Antonio Barrera really underestimated 2000 Olympian Rocky Juarez. Juarez showed power with both hands and kept countering Barrera all night with left hooks and overhand rights. HBO did its usual cheerleading for Barrera, seldom mentioning Juarez unless he got hit. The fighters dueled on even terms for 12 rounds, and the decision was what most anticipated a draw

Unexpected was the announcement that judge Morita’s scorecard was tabulated wrong. The correct total was 115-114 in Barrera’s favor to give the champion a split-decision victory.

For Christmas I promise to send the commission a calculator

Can the knowledge of mathematics help a gambler to win?

One can often hear that the best piece of advice given by a mathematician to a lover of gambling games is an assertion which lies in the fact that the best strategy in gambling games is complete abstention from participation in them. A lot of mathematicians consider that the most which the theory of probability and the theory of games can give a gambler are the strategies following which he won’t lose too much.

It is difficult to predict whether the American mathematician Edward Thorp shared this view, when once spending winter holidays in Las-Vegas, he, having entered a casino, decided to try his luck in the game of twenty-one. As it turned out, “Dame Fortune” was extremely unkind to him. We do not know for sure what amount of money this teacher of mathematics of one of American universities lost that winter night at the end of the 50-s – the beginning of the 60-s of the last century, however, judging by the following events the amount was not small. Otherwise, how can we account for the fact that development of an optimal strategy of this game became for a number of years an “idte fixe” of our hero. Besides, the matter was not only in the quantity of money lost by the mathematician. Perhaps, Thorp was simply an extremely venturesome person, and his pride both of a gambler and an expert-mathematician was hurt. Besides, he could suspect a croupier of dishonesty, since, as he had noticed, cards were not shuffled after each game. Though, during the game itself it did not make him very uneasy. However, afterwards, having visited casinos a number of times, he noticed that as the rules did not presuppose obligatory shuffling of cards after each game, so it was difficult to accuse a croupier of anything. Anyway, he managed to develop a winning strategy in the game of twenty-one.

This strategy among other things was based on the same very aspect which had put a defeated mathematician on his guard – cards were not shuffled too often. At that, this, apparently, as a rule, was done not because of some evil design, but in order to avoid, so to say, unnecessary slowdowns in the game. The results of his studies Edward Thorp put forth in a book published in 1962 (Thorp E.O Beat the dealer. A winning strategy for the game of twenty one. – New York: Blaisdell,1962.) which made owners of gambling houses in the state of Nevada essentially change the rules of the game of twenty-one. But let’s not ride before the hounds.

In accordance with the game rules of twenty-one of that time one croupier dealt gamblers two cards each out of a thoroughly shuffled pack consisting of 52 cards. Gamblers themselves did not show their cards to a dealing croupier. At the same time out of two cards taken for himself an official of a casino showed one of them (usually the first one) to gamblers. Gamblers evaluate their cards according to the following scale. Jacks, queens and kings have a value equal to 10 points, an ace could be assigned prediksi bola either 1 point or 11 points, the value of the rest of the cards coincided with their numerical value (eights had 8 points, nines took 9, and etc). That gambler was considered a winner who had cards on hand with the sum of points closest to 21 from the bottom. At that, having assessed the received cards every gambler (including a croupier) had a right to take from a pack or putting it simpler, take a “widow”, any amount of cards. However, if, as a result, the total number of points after a widow, will exceed 21 points then a gambler must drop out of a game having shown his cards.

Special rules were established with regard to stakes. Initially, upper and lower bounds were set, and every gambler had a right of choice of a specific stake (within these bounds) depending on the evaluation of his position. If, as a result, it turned out that in accordance with the game rules a casino’s visitor had a “better” number of points on hand than a croupier had, he received a gain in the amount of the stake that he had made, otherwise, this gambler lost his stake. In case of an equal number of points of a gambler and a croupier, the game ended in peace, that is the result of the game is considered “harmless” both for a gambler and a casino.

Let’s point out that unlike ordinary gamblers a croupier is not obliged to open his cards in that case if the number of points in these cards exceeds 21. Moreover, after all the gamblers have opened their cards, and therefore, all the stakes go to a casino gamblers cannot practically find out what was the number of points of a croupier, in order to build their game strategy for the next game (whether to risk or not to stand pat, and etc). It goes without saying, it gives a croupier considerable advantages. Besides, all the gamblers are surely aware of this, and, continue to play. Nothing can be done about it, who does not take risks, as is known, does not win.

A Quick Rundown on the People in the Blackjack Hall of Fame

From its inception in 2003, the Blackjack Hall of Fame has inducted a total of 11 members for their outstanding accomplishments, both at the tables and away from them.

Edward O. Thorp, one of the original Blackjack Hall of Fame members, was a mathematician and scholar, known as the Father of Card Counting by professional players and the general populous alike. His Ten Count system was first introduced to the world in his 1962 book, Beat the Dealer, which was the very first winning blackjack system ever published, not to mention that it was also the first mathematician publication to beat any casino-style gambling game. Every card counting system available today is a derivative of Thorps Ten Count system.

Ken Uston, an original inductee, passed away in 1987, years before the Blackjack Hall of Fame was even a thought. Uston brought the secrets of the big card counting teams mainstream with his book, The Big Player, creating a commotion throughout the gaming industry. After his landmark publication, card counting teams began to generate across the globe.

The inventor of blackjacks team play is one of the original members of the Hall of Fame- Al Francesca. Francesca was the driving force and mastermind behind Ken Uston and his book, The Big Player.

Blackjack researchers have been using the mathematical methods of Peter Griffin, as he was the first to break down any card counting system into two points-the Betting Correlation (BC) and the Playing Efficiency (PE). His book, The Theory of Blackjack, along with his many other mathematical papers made him an easy pick for the original Blackjack Hall of Fame lineup.

Stanford Wong, often referred to as the Godfather of Blackjack, was an original inductee into the Hall of Fame. The term wonging is related to his proven techniques of card counting across the globe. Wong was one of the first to beat the continuous shuffle machines of Las Vegas before they were removed and updated.

Yet another original member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, Arnold Snyder, was inducted for first to publish what is now common knowledge amongst professional blackjack players; the importance of penetration. Although he has written many publications on the topic of blackjack, Snyder refrains from publishing much of what he has learned to allow current players the opportunities to play and win.

While still in college, Tommy Hyland began playing professional blackjack, and has been for over 25 years. He is the leading man in the longest running and most successful blackjack team in the entire world. Adored by his peers and despised by casino owners, Tommy has made his mark in the blackjack world and is an original inductee into the Hall of Fame.

2004 and the Blackjack Ball brought Keith Taft to the Hall of Fame, complete with a photo album featuring a variety of gadgets and such that he invented to aid in the casino beating process, with his primary focus always on blackjack. Taft credits his son, Marty, for the two were an unbeatable team since Marty was a teenager.

Max Rubin is the author of Comp City, a publication aimed at beating the Blackjack tables of Las Vegas even without mastering the art of counting cards. Rubin is the other Hall of Fames inductee for 2004.

The 2005 Blackjack Ball brought with it two new inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame, one being Julian Brown, an IBM computer programmer became captivated with the mathematics involved in blackjack. In the 1960s Brown wrote to Edward O. Thorp and requested a copy of berita bola the blackjack computer program. Since Brown had access to some of the fastest computers available, he worked diligently to produce an improved program, resulting in the creation of Hi-Opt blackjack and Hi-Lo strategies. Most of todays blackjack experts have built upon the work of Julian Brown.

2005s second inductee is none other that Lawrence Revere, a card shark and hustler who created a series of amazingly simple, color coded charts and such so that anyone could understand. Revere is considered to be the man who brought blackjack to the average player.

The professional hole-carders bible, Beyond Counting, was authored by none other than James Grosjean, thus sealing his fate as the 2006 Blackjack Hall of Fame inductee. Although every tactic used by Grosjean was legal at the time, he was ridiculed and arrested for his practices. In turn, he sued Caesars and Imperial Palace for wrongful arrest, as well as the Griffin Detective Agency, forcing them into bankruptcy, paving the way to stop libeling professional gamblers.