Top 5 Poker Facts You Didn't Know

Poker has been played for more than two centuries and many players think that they’ve heard it all over the years. There are, however, still a long list of amazing poker facts that aren’t commonly known.

Here are our top 5 mind-blowing poker facts.

Longest Running Poker Game in History

Back in 1881, at the Bird Cage Casino in Tombstone, Arizona, USA, the longest running poker game of all-time took place.

There was a single table that played constantly for eight years, five months, and three days. It was said that as much as $10 million changed hands over the period. An amazing figure that is not adjusted for inflation. The game only broke up after inclement weather flooded the building.

The players were said to have included historical figures such as Doc Holiday and George Hearst.

First Ever Televised Poker Event

The first ever poker tournament to be shown on TV was the 1973 World Series of Poker. The event took place at Binions Casino in Las Vegas, USA and was won by Walter "Puggy" Pearson.

Following a series of seven preliminary tournaments of different games, 13 players paid $10,000 to enter a winner takes all final. Not a bad first place prize for what is essentially a sit & go 46 years ago.

Dead Man’s Hand

A few of the NL Hold’em holecards have nicknames, but one of the less well-known made hands is called the Dead Man’s Hand. It consists of two aces and two eights.

It got this nickname because it was the same hand that James Butler ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok was holding when he was shot in the back during play.

Hickok was a folk hero of the American Wild West and reportedly rinsed Jack McCall during play. After advising him not to play until he could cover his debts, Hickok offered McCall money for breakfast. McCall took this as an insult and in a rage shot Hickok in the back of the head.

Tricky Dicky

Former US President Richard Nixon was said to have been an incredible poker player. So good, in fact, that he paid for his first political campaign to enter the House of Representatives with his winnings. 

Like many other poker players, Nixon bit off more than he could chew by, in effect, bluffing in a terrible spot. The Watergate scandal rocked the entire US nation and eventually cost Nixon his job, although he did encounter some run good by avoiding a prison sentence.

Pocket Rockets Not So Lucky

Since the beginning of the World Series of Poker, no player has ever closed out the Main Event holding pocket aces. Although there have been 50 series held in Las Vegas, it is still surprising that nobody has managed to stack their opponent for the win with pocket rockets.

Maybe aces aren’t so lucky after all, because twice a player has entered the final hand holding aces and lost their tournament life.