Russian Queen of Clubs, Willow's collection Poker is a big deal here at the Manor. Even before its recent rise in worldwide popularity, we have always played in on holidays and special occasions when the kids were growing up. All the participants must wear a silly hat, which adds to the ambiance, and it is extra fun because we play with a gigantic stack of old, pre-1989 Polish zlotys. We played it here on July 4th, but it was a tad too warm for the crazy hats!
So, how did this card game come to be called poker? Well, it's German in origin and came from German word pochen,which means to brag or to knock. Funny, because this knock is still used today to show that a player is passing on his bet and also quite a bit of bragging is involved among the players! The name seems to have originated into the United States from New Orleans, due to its similarity to the French game of poque. Southern gentlemen, in their
genteel drawl would pronounce it pok-uh. So, there you have it.
