History of No Limit poker
Hello everyone,
Thanks in advance. Does anyone know of any literature that documents the rise and fall of no limit poker in the United States?
I know it became popular in the early 80s and died out until it had a resurgence with online poker and TV but is there any book that has documented this?
I appreciate any insight.
In 1956, when Alfred Hitchcock Presents was extremely popular, there was an episode called Crack of Doom, where two guys are having a conversation about poker...
Tom: ...table stakes, no limit...
Mason: I don't like what's happening to what started out a couple of years ago as a friendly little game among neighbors.
Tom: Mason, friendship ceases when the first card is dealt.
Mason: Maybe so, but at least nobody got hurt. This no limit stuff of yours is brutal.
So the concept of no limit poker (5 card
Just watched this episode. They also allow violation of table stakes so Mason writes a check, to presumably call, but he raises. Overall good episode but the ending was happy which is unusual. There was no comeuppance for stealing money.
During an interview in season 1 (might be season 2) of HSP, Doyle discusses his advantage because most of his career in the underground games was NLHE.
The old movies c and TV always are almost always show nl, probably partly because it is mor dramatic. They also show string bets and violations of table stakes to be dramatic but inaccurate.
Limit poker apparently became so dominant 1970-2000, because once limit was common. It was hard to get fish to pla nl or pl in which you can lose bigger6l
When I got started playing for serious money in the early 80s I was in New Mexico - no casinos at the time but underground rooms and private games were readily available. We rarely played holdem (I tried to talk guys into it sometimes) but rather a variety of stud and draw games. And all were played "table stakes" as they called NL at the time.
I played in home games with someone who liked to play 5 stud. I understand it was one of the most popular games from 1900-pre WW2. But its popularity faded over time. He frequently took trips to LV, and told me the last 5 stud game in LV was early 70s at Circus Circus, but they shut it down and went with 6 stud for awhile. I have not seen 6 stud in LV since the 70s.
IRT to "open stakes" in Cincinnati Kid, according to Wikipedia this was common in high stakes games during the period of the film (1930s).
A variant of 5 stud, Canadian Stud, was shown in the film Havana, period 1950s. In Canadian Stud 4 to a straight or flush beats a pair, but loses to 2 pair. No limit IIRC.
There are several books and resources that document the history and evolution of no-limit poker in the United States, tracing its rise, decline, and resurgence. Here are some notable works that cover these aspects in detail:
"The Biggest Game in Town" by Al Alvarez - This book, published in 1983, provides an in-depth look at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the high-stakes poker world in Las Vegas during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It captures the atmosphere of the time and the personalities involved in no-limit poker.
"Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker" by James McManus - Published in 2003, this book blends a true crime story with the author's experiences at the 2000 WSOP. McManus documents the transformation of the poker scene and the impact of the "Moneymaker effect," which fueled the poker boom of the early 2000s.
"One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey 'The Kid' Ungar, The World's Greatest Poker Player" by Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson - This biography, published in 2005, tells the story of Stu Ungar, a legendary poker player whose life and career epitomize the boom and bust cycles of the poker world.
"Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker" by James McManus - Released in 2009, this comprehensive history of poker traces its origins, development, and cultural impact, including the rise and fall of no-limit poker in the United States.
