{"id":5132,"date":"2021-07-07T15:36:40","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T19:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casino.borgataonline.com\/en\/blog\/?p=5132"},"modified":"2025-05-29T09:24:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T13:24:50","slug":"unbelievable-poker-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.borgataonline.com\/en\/blog\/unbelievable-poker-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"(Almost) Unbelievable Poker Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Whether you play poker online for real money or play poker in person, you\u2019ll be aware that it is one of the most popular card games in the world. There have been songs written about it, movies based on it and careers made out of it! Online poker<\/strong><\/a> is played in private residences and in land-based casinos the world over and has flourished online too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you want to take a gamble on Omaha poker<\/strong><\/a> or stick to something you know and love, like a Texas Hold\u2019em poker game, there are a few interesting legends, strange superstitions and (almost) unbelievable facts that have come from so many years of play. Let\u2019s have a look!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 Unbelievable Poker Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Read on to explore some poker statistics <\/strong>and crazy facts about one of everyone\u2019s favorite online casino games<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Longest Poker Tournament Lasted Eight Years<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From 1881 through 1889, the Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone, Arizona, hosted a poker game that was said to have lasted eight years! Poker was played continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and stakes were high, with a $1,000 buy-in. This is something of a fun fact, as reports of the game are unverified, but it supposedly lasted eight years, five months and three days! The eventual winner must have needed a holiday just to recover!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The First Real Money Online Poker Game Was Played in 1998<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For many people, particularly the younger generations, it\u2019s difficult to imagine (or remember) a time when everything wasn\u2019t available to us at the click of a button. Before 1998, poker was played either at private residences or brick-and-mortar casinos, but on January 1, 1998, the first real money online poker game was played on the Planet Poker website. From then on, the opportunity to play poker online was made more widely available to the general public and virtual poker grew to become the multibillion-dollar industry it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Former President Richard Nixon Funded His First Political Campaign With Poker Winnings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Richard Nixon left his job as a lawyer at age 29 to join the US Navy. There, he learned how to play poker and became a card shark. He returned from his service with thousands of dollars in winnings, which he used to fund his first run for political office in 1946! James Udall, a former Navy comrade, playfully recalled during a 1970 Life magazine interview how he \u201conce saw him bluff a lieutenant commander out of $1,500 with a pair of deuces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. The Kings in the Poker Deck Are Based on Actual Kings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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French card-makers in the 16th century standardized the suits and designated four kings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n