Poker
/ˈpoʊ.kɚ/noun
A card game in which players bet on the strength of their hands.
Did you know?The word’s history is murky, but many scholars connect poker to earlier gambling terms in Germanic and French that meant to boast, bluff, or poke at the odds.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
poke
“To thrust, prod, or jab; also to stir or move something about.”
17th Century
English
poker
“A person or thing that pokes; later, a long metal rod used for stirring a fire.”
18th Century
English
poker
“A gambling game in North America, probably named from a sense of poking, bluffing, or bragging.”
19th Century
English
poker
“The modern card game, spreading widely in English-speaking countries.”