Draw poker, an omission from the 1879 California constitution, which outlawed all forms of gambling, paved the way for poker players in the state into the present.
In over 140 cities, poker players from New Orleans over in the 1800s tested their luck, spreading west via riverboat gamblers and infiltrating the Gold Rush camps in California, according to a brief history cataloged by KCET.
Draw poker, conveniently left out of a later outlaw of all forms of gambling, made it so players could continue to play, much supported by the state through the 1920s. The game was even given a particular status as a “game of skill,” protecting cardrooms where gamblers play against each other and not against the house, KCET reported.