Poker as we know it now has its roots in other similar games invented almost a millennium ago. Some historians associate it with a kind of domino played with cards that was the pastime of a Chinese emperor of the tenth century, while others believe that it descends from the as nas Persian century XVI . In that same time, in Spain the first one was played, which would have served as an inspiration for the pochen German and the poo French that gave their name to poker.
When the French colonialists arrived in North America, they brought with them this game, which over time was adapted to a very approximate version of today's poker. Little by little, its popularity spread throughout the country, so much so that it was the Americans themselves who ended up making it their own and acted as authentic ambassadors of the game in Europe, especially during the First World War.
Currently, the timbas with friends are a very popular entertainment, but also has been professionalized with international competitions in which a lot of money moves. Cinema, on the other hand, has also romanticized the concept of these betting games, something that has inevitably made it more accepted by society, so much so that celebrities are no longer ashamed to admit that they love to take a game from time to time. when.
But how will the poker of the future be?
Robotics and artificial intelligence
The current world is inevitably heading towards a society governed by artificial intelligence. The nineteenth-century Luddites would take their hands to their heads when they saw how the reality portrayed in Blade Runner is getting closer. There is nothing to suggest that this technology will not also come in the sector of poker and casinos. In fact, in 2017, an AI was able to win almost all of the 120,000 games it played against professional players.
This process of machining can not only be seen in the paper developed by the participants of a game, but also in the person in charge of distributing the letters and ensuring that the rules are complied with. Indeed, sooner rather than later we could witness the replacement of the human croupiers in the casino by androids . Paradise Entertainment has already made the first tests with the Min robot, which would help to save costs to the owners of the rooms.
Online platforms and mobile applications
In recent years, the users of the platforms have grown Online poker , that have put poker and slot machines within the reach of a larger number of people without the need to leave home. That's right: these digital platforms are not only used by professional players who want to practice their strategies, but also by beginners who, before taking the step of going to a physical game table, prefer to learn tactics with virtual opponents.
At the same time, there are more and more mobile applications that allow you to play from a smartphone as you would in a recreational room. A future can be easily predicted, then, where there are fewer and fewer players in the casinos. The creators of software They will take advantage of these circumstances to offer programs richer in three-dimensional graphics that improve the user experience and encourage participants to make more and more bets.
Virtual reality and augmented reality
In the line of what was explained above, in a time like the present one can also intuit a few coming years where the virtual reality and the augmented take control of the entertainment industry, including poker. These technologies give computer developers many more possibilities to create applications with which players feel like they are in a real casino when they play through their computer or smartphone .
This greatly favors the platforms on-line and mobiles, since they can offer more emotion and reality to a game that, practiced without the physical presence of the rivals, can often seem something cold and distant. With RV or RA helmets, the user will teleport to the most luxurious casinos in Las Vegas without getting up off the couch and can also decipher the facial movements of their rivals, if only through their avatars.
New modalities of a mental sport
For now, poker is not considered a sport. Several associations around the world dedicated to this game have tried to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee as such in the same way that it considers chess a mental sport. If so, and practiced in its competitive version, the card game could even be part of the disciplines that participate every four years in the Summer Olympics.
In the hypothetical case that this happened, surely they would be born new modalities both professionally and in a more amateur . No need to wait for it to be an Olympic sport. There are already some modern variations, as is the case of those inspired by fantasy universes such as Star Wars. Some change the rules from top to bottom and others just adapt them, but it gives an idea of the new poker that is to come.