Why is Texas hold 'em so popular?

1,772,552 plays|

James McManus |

TED-Ed

• January 2024

From its earliest incarnations, poker has always been a contest of guile, guts, and gambling. The game first emerged around 1800 in the melting pot of New Orleans, and soon spread up the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri rivers. So, how did this simple game of the American South skyrocket in popularity? James McManus shares how the card game became an international affair. [Directed by Chintis Lundgren, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio].