There are few sounds as universally recognizable as the crisp shuffle of a deck of cards or the clinking of chips across a felt table. Poker is a game of skill, psychology, and luck that has captured human imagination for centuries. But this iconic game didn’t just appear overnight in a modern casino. Its history is a fascinating journey that crosses continents, from the royal courts of Europe to the steamboats of the Mississippi River and the dusty saloons of the American frontier.