Who Wrote the Book of Poker? | Adrian Aston<br /><br />Some poker enthusiasts such as Adrian Aston sometime pause and wonder how their favourite game actually came into existence. While there are a number of historians who claim that poker has ancient origins, it is generally agreed that it really grew up in New Orleans, a formerly French territory in the United States. It spread from this area into the rest of America via the Mississippi River, following the course of the steamers that were used to transport people and goods up and down its banks.<br /><br />While the early versions of poker got started in the early 1800’s, poker really came into its own around the time of the American Civil War. The first real publication of its rules came as late as 1904, and R.F. Foster followed it up with a book called Practical Poker in 1905, attempting to trace the various types of poker and their origins. Later versions of poker are easily traceable by folks like Adrian Aston via a publication from the United States Playing Card Company called Hoyles, which published the rules of various card games popular at that time, and updated on a regular basis.