Exploring the Past & Present of Poker in Australia
In a country that’s famed for its established gambling culture, there’s even some truth to stories from bygone days of people betting on two frogs jumping, which indicates just how much Aussies enjoy wagering on practically anything and everything. Nevertheless, poker is far more intriguing because it also involves elements of skill and judgement, rather than just blind luck or chance.
Tracing the Aussie Poker Origins
Poker games in Australia date all the way back to the colonial era, during a time when settlers and traders brought their favourite hobbies and pastimes with them, including a wide variety of comparing card games involving wagering on hands. This places poker in in the same family of card games as blackjack and baccarat, among others.
While the precise origins of poker itself still remain unclear, the game initially rose to prominence through the early 1800s in the American south, where five-card games were played on Mississippi River boats and in New Orleans. Over the following decades, more variants like seven-card stud and others began to emerge.
Upon reaching Australian shores and with local companies printing playing cards, poker was already commonplace in bars and clubs midway through the 19th century, particularly in the larger port cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Interestingly, mechanical poker machines also made their first appearance in these locations during the late 1890s, shortly after their invention in the United States.
Commonly known as slots in most countries around the world, poker machines gradually became known as “pokies” in the Aussie vernacular. The earliest of these gambling machines were based entirely on poker hands, with playing cards attached to the reels. Meanwhile, the original card game continued to flourish and evolve Down Under throughout the following century.
Going All-In for the Digital Age
One specific decade is arguably responsible for the biggest boom in poker popularity. While the first legal Australian casino properties had opened in the 1970s and 1980s, when the internet emerged in the 1990s it completely transformed everything relating to gambling. Poker had already featured in video games, but now it was possible to play against others across the internet.
Early casino websites began to emerge by 1994, offering free games including poker without any money being wagered. Around the same time, British company Microgaming developed and launched the first true online casino software, then CryptoLogic in Canada developed encrypted communication protocols, paving the way for secure online monetary transactions.
Planet Poker was the first real money online poker site, launched by Canadian player and investor Randy Blumer in 1998, however, dial-up internet of the time made international connection difficult. Then came the major breakthrough in Australia, when Lasseters in Alice Springs became the world’s first regulated online casino, which ran alongside their physical casino operation.
Although the World Series of Poker (WSOP) had been founded in 1970, based at Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas, the first official WSOP event didn’t arrive in Australia until 2013. This was hosted by Crown Melbourne and featured five bracelet events. The first WSOP online bracelet event was played in 2015, featuring participants from around the globe.
Aussie Millions & Current State of Play
The popularity of online poker has continued to grow around the world, and particularly in Australia, where players are always on the lookout for online casino easy withdrawal options. After all, nobody wants to play their favourite games and then have to wait for their winnings. Likewise, the landscape of poker gaming Down Under has also shifted considerably.
Offline, while the National Poker League and the Australian Poker League are big organisations, their activity revolves around live events hosted mostly at pubs and clubs. Shortly after poker was introduced by the Crown Casino in Melbourne, this venue hosted the biggest live poker tournament events, once the Australian Poker Championship was launched in 1998.
The inaugural event was a $1,000 AUD buy in Limit Texas Hold’em tournament, featuring 74 participants and a $74,000 AUD prize pool. As the fame of this championship grew, as did the number of participants and main events, what became known as “Aussie Millions” featured poker tournaments played over several days.
2020 was the final Aussie Millions event, featuring 820 participants and a total prize pool worth $8.2 million AUD. Unfortunately, it was the last due to pandemic restrictions, followed by regulatory investigations involving the Crown Melbourne casino, severely limiting their gaming license. Nevertheless, this huge poker tournament could yet be revived in the future.