13 Fun Poker Facts to Impress Your Opponents

Legend has it that poker all started with a humble game of dominoes (remember that?). Of course, it’s morphed into what we know it today over the years and adopted its own rule sets and formats. So naturally over the several hundreds of years it’s been doing the rounds, a few fun facts and trivia tidbits to do with poker have come to the surface. Interested in learning some fun poker facts to pull out on your opponents next time you’re at the table? Read on, pal.

Record-Setting Game of Poker

How long could you play poker nonstop? A few hours? Several days? How about YEARS? Believe it or not, the basement of the Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone is supposedly the location of the longest-documented poker ring game in history. From 1881 to 1889, a continuous game ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yes, you did the math correctly — that’s eight years of non-stop poker.

The rules were fairly straightforward: $1000 to play, and you could enter and leave whenever you wanted. Over the years of the game, politicians, law enforcement officers, old west legends, professional gamblers, businessmen and philanthropists participated. Notable players included Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Diamond Jim Brady and Adolphus Busch. 

The game finally ended in 1889 when most of the miners and workers, who were Tombstone's lifeblood, were laid off after groundwater seeped into the mines and flooded several buildings. In the modern era, the Bird Cage Theatre is a museum with a reputation for being haunted, which is a whole other story for another time. 

The Biggest Ring Game Pot Ever (Maybe)

Nobody can say with any certainty how large the biggest ring game pot in the world is; tales of billionaire casino players throwing their wealth around in private games, especially in China and the Middle East, are common. Even the largest ring game pot we have heard about is somewhat dubious. 

Allegedly, in 2022, poker pro Antanus Guoga - better known as Tony G — won over $7.7 million in an online ring game pot on a Crypto poker platform. There is a fair amount of scepticism about the legitimacy of the hand, the pot and everything else to do with it. To date, the largest known ring game pot that isn’t contested was won by poker pro Tom Dwan in late May of 2023. He walked away with $3.1 million, and there were a whole bunch of cameras there to catch every moment. 

Poker Chips Used to be Made of Wood, Bone and Ivory 

Poker chips come in a variety of different colours, weights and materials. Most casinos will have custom chips bearing their unique symbol and colour scheme made from plastic, clay, ceramic, or a mix of all of the above. However, that wasn't always the case. For decades, people used everything from bones and bits of wood, to valuable objects like gold nuggets, gold pieces and coins as chips instead.

United States Presidents Love Poker

Quite a few American presidents have been avid poker and card players. When poker was sweeping across the country during the 1800s, a young Abraham Lincoln, still a few decades away from becoming the 16th United States president, was introduced to the game and continued playing well into his presidency. Ulysses Grant famously led the union to victory in the civil war, eventually becoming the 18th president, while in office, he was known to play poker frequently.

Richard Nixon, the 37th American president, also played poker in the Oval Office. As the story goes, he even funded his first congressional campaign with poker winnings. More recently, Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, was a frequent presence at the poker tables, using the games to network early in his political career. 

The Birth of the Dead Man’s Hand

Everyone has heard this story a hundred times, but it's always worth retelling, just in case somebody hasn't heard it yet. A Dead Man's Hand is a two pair of black aces and eights. The card combination got the name because folk hero and legend of the old west, James "Wild Bill" Hickok, was killed playing poker at the Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota. When they checked his cards, that's what he was supposedly holding in his cold dead hand.

Prior to his death, Hickok, a man named Jack McCall, and a few others were playing poker, specifically five-card draw, which was the most popular poker variant at the time. McCall lost his whole bankroll. Hickok decided to pity the luckless McCall, offering money for food and advising him not to play again until he could cover his losses. Nobody likes getting advice lobbed at them, especially at the poker table, but what happened next was a bit extreme. 

The next day McCall returned to the saloon and shot Hickok in the back of the head, killing the legendary gunfighter instantly. Turns out he didn’t appreciate the advice. McCall was eventually hanged for murder. Whether Hickok's cards really were two-pair black aces and eights isn't known with any certainty (some argue it was added to the story years after his death) it's still a good tale though. 

The Biggest Card Room in the United States (and Possibly the World)

As we are all aware, ads aren’t always true. In fact, many of them are downright lies. In the case of the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles bragging about having the world's biggest poker room though, well, this one might actually be true. The venue has over 200 tables on site, so it's hard to argue with the boast. No other venue in the United States, and maybe even the world, can match that.

Celebrities Host Private Poker Games 

More than a few celebrities like to play poker, and some even host private games. A few in particular sound like fun. Country music star Willie Nelson's home poker games, for example, are legendary. By all accounts, it has a famous guest list, with the game strictly invite-only and mostly takes place at Nelson's house. Regular players include Hollywood actors Owen and Luke Wilson, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, along with famous musicians and sports stars.

Nelson is rumored to be a poker shark with an aggressive style that has seen him forge a reputation for ruthlessness at the table. Musician Jack Johnson even wrote a song about his experience with losing all his money at the game titled Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money. 

Poker Came from Persia or China

Most agree modern poker came from either a 10th-century Chinese domino game or a Persian card game called As Nas, possibly both were influences on creating the modern game. Similar to Mahjong, the domino game used tiles, dominoes and leaves as playing cards. It was made famous by an emperor and his concubines, first spreading through China, then beyond, crossing multiple continents and cultures.

As Nas was the game of choice in Persia during the 16th century and was played with a 20 card deck. There were five suits, (ace), shah (king), bibi (queen) serbaz (soldier) and couli, (dancer). Each player received five cards at the start of the game, and the goal was similar to modern poker: to make the best possible card combination. There was no draw phase, although players still had options to raise or fold. 

The World Series of Poker Struggled for Years 

In 2024, it's a very rare poker player who hasn't heard about the World Series of Poker (WSOP), which is arguably the largest and most prestigious event in the poker world. In its early days though, there was little fanfare or attention from the public around the tournament. Benny Binion hosted the first WSOP event in 1970. Then for years after, it languished in obscurity with low numbers of players. It would take until 1982 for over 100 players to sign up. And then another few years after before it could genuinely be considered a famous event. In the modern era, it's one of the biggest tournaments in the world. 

Kings of Kings

Supposedly, the four kings in a standard deck are modelled after historical real-life monarchs. The king of spades is apparently David, King of Israel from the Old Testament, while the king of clubs is Alexander the Great, a Macedonian who conquered most of the known world thousands of years ago. The king of hearts is apparently Charlemagne, King of France and the first Holy Roman Emperor. While the king of diamonds is Roman Caesar Augustus, founder of the Roman Empire. 

Men Who Tried to Win the Ladies World Series of Poker 

Originally envisioned as a ladies' only event in 1977, men were not explicitly barred from entering the Ladies No Limit Hold 'em Championship. It was an unspoken expectation that it was ladies only though. However, in 2010, professional poker player Shaun Deeb decided to try his luck in the game—but he failed to get very far. The following year, another male player entered and busted out in 9th place. The crowd heckled him during many of his hands on the final table.

The Biggest Tournament Poker Prize 

Just like ring games, it’s hard to know what the biggest ever prize pool in poker tournament history has been. There could easily be a secret high roller tournament unknown to the public with tens of millions on offer. All the biggest known poker tournament prizes have come from one tournament though: the Big One for One Drop. 

The game is an invitation-only multi-day no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament hosted as part of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) circuit. Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari won a staggering $18.3 million after beating 48 others in the tourney's first year in 2012. To date, it's the largest prize ever won in a poker tournament, that we know of at least. 

Poker IS a Sport 

Long considered a test of mental fortitude, poker was officially declared a mind sport in 2010 by the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA). While poker players don't have to run long distances, kick a ball or conduct feats of strength, it's hard to argue that poker takes a level of endurance few are prepared for. Just ask anyone who has taken on a mammoth online grinding session.