Video Poker History

We must consider the other factor that was necessary to make video poker a feasible option - the video monitor. Around the mid-seventies, the first PCs ("personal computers") were starting to be produced and distributed. At the very same time, video games were becoming the rage at arcades all around the world - home versions soon followed suit.
Both the computer and gaming phenomena got people familiarized to the concept of playing games on video monitors. As these two revolutionary concepts started to sweep the country, it also became financially easier to combine TV monitors with a central processing unit. This started to set the stage for the development of video poker.

By the end of the seventies, Si Redd's Coin Machines (or SIRCOMA) introduced the very first "Draw Poker" in the year 1979. It was an instant hit at various casinos across the United States, and as a result, during the ensuing 80s, other companies started to produce their own versions, which players also enjoyed. The factor that has always contributed to the popularity of video poker has been the fact that it is much less intimidating to play against a computer without the presence of an audience than when you play a real game of poker. This has resulted in a majority of casinos featuring video poker in prominent areas of their establishments today.

Incidentally, although it can not be called "video poker" on any level, it is possible to find a device similar in a lot of aspects to the game, way back in the late 19th century. In 1891, the Sitman and Pitt Company invented a poker machine consisting of five drums. Each of these drums held 10 playing cards. And as with all other early "slot machines," the player first inserted a coin (a nickel presumably), pulled a lever, which caused the drums to spin around. Whatever cards the drums stopped on, were considered to be the player's hand. These machines were typically found in bars, and the rewards for good hands came in the form of cigars, drinks, etc.