The game of poker has been around for centuries. Although there are several
versions of the game, it is only recently that the game has branched off into
more interesting areas. Many poker purists shun the new versions of poker due to
the fact that many of these new games are played more for fun and excitement
than for strategic reasons. One such game is Caribbean poker.
The game was first introduced in the Caribbean aboard the cruise liners.
There is no single clear origin of the game as it just seemed to pop up on the
poker scene. Those on board the cruise liners were looking for a version of
poker that did not require hours of explanation to play and therefore a game
with simplified rules was invented. The game grew in popularity due to its
simplicity and quick game play.
If the game is broken down into its parts, it is glaringly obvious that there
is a huge blackjack influence in the game of Caribbean poker. Players were tired
of having to play poker against their friends while on holiday as a way of
gambling and therefore Caribbean poker introduced the rule of all players
playing against the dealer - much like blackjack.
The hand rankings follow the poker hand rankings and the betting system is
also based on the poker system. However, other than that, the game is only a
poker game in name.
The game grew in popularity aboard these ships and eventually came ashore in
the late 80s on the back of the high rolling world travellers. To make this game
more accessible to the average person, several land based casinos adopted
Caribbean poker on a trial period. At first, the game was viewed with slight
trepidation as many poker purists were vehemently opposed to the new version of
the game. Furthermore, as players came to realize that the house edge was much
stronger than other games, the game started to enter a decline.
Casino operators still saw merit in the game's simplicity and its inclusive
nature and gave the game a slight makeover. By adding a progressive jackpot,
players started to see the benefit of playing a highly entertaining game with
potentially much higher yields than many other casino games.
Even though this seemed to grow the game of Caribbean poker to new heights,
the biggest growth game years later when online casinos emerged in the mid 90s.
As the demand for new games increased and online gamblers demanded fast paced
and high yielding games, online casinos started to adopt Caribbean poker as one
of their premier games.
Today, Caribbean poker is one of the most sought-after poker games behind 7
card stud and Texas Hold'em and has even managed to soften the resolve of the
most die-hard poker players. The future looks bright for Caribbean poker and
even though its past is somewhat unsure, there is no question about the game's
future.
