Note: Not at the old Poker1 site. This 39-part series of quizzes, originally published (2004-2006) in Poker Player, is based on the Mike Caro University of Poker library of research and advice. In each entry, Mike Caro presents 10 questions covering a category of poker, targeted for beginner, intermediate, or advanced players. Answers with explanations appear below each quiz, with the questions repeated for easy reference.
The MCU Targeted Poker Quiz series
(See the index to this series)
Poker History (level: beginner)
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The most prominent place for legal public poker in the United States in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s was…
(a) Miami, Florida;
(b) Jackson Hole, Wyoming;
(c) Gardena, California;
(d) Las Vegas, Nevada.
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In the movie “The Cincinnati Kid,” the form of poker used to determine the world champion was…
(a) hold ’em;
(b) five-card draw;
(c) five-card stud;
(d) seven-card stud.
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What famous casino personality helped found the most prominent tournament used to determine world champions today?
(a) Benny Binion;
(b) Donald Trump;
(c) Merv Griffin;
(d) Steve Wynn.
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What is the last name of “Amarillo Slim”?
(a) Alverez;
(b) Thompson;
(c) Barclay;
(d) Preston.
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Poker was first played in 1922…
(a) True;
(b) False.
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Which statement is false about the first World Poker Finals at Foxwoods in Connecticut…
(a) It had a $10,000 buy-in championship event won by Mike Sexton who now co-hosts the World Poker Tour;
(b) It was named by Mike Caro;
(c) It was the first major poker tournament to use a four-color deck;
(d) It had all final tables televised live.
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The first major poker event to use hold ‘em as the championship game was…
(a) The Super Bowl of Poker;
(b) The Mid-America Poker Classic;
(c) Bob Stupak’s Poker Spectacular;
(d) The World Series of Poker.
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The first online site to offer poker for real money was….
(a) Doyle’s Room;
(b) Party Poker;
(c) Planet Poker;
(d) Paradise Poker.
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Until the 1980s, only forms of five-card draw could be played in public cardrooms in California…
(a) True;
(b) False.
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Which of the following Las Vegas casinos did not have a poker room prior to the 1990s…
(a) Binion’s Horseshoe;
(b) Sahara;
(c) Stardust;
(d) Dunes.
Answers and explanations (with questions repeated for convenience)
Poker History (level: beginner)
-
The most prominent place for legal public poker in the United States in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s was…
(a) Miami, Florida;
(b) Jackson Hole, Wyoming;
(c) Gardena, California;
(d) Las Vegas, Nevada.
Answer: (c). The most prominent legal poker location in the United states in the decades preceding the 1980s was Gardena, California, billed as “The Poker Capital of the World.” It boasted six licensed cardrooms with 35 tables each.
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In the movie “The Cincinnati Kid,” the form of poker used to determine the world champion was…
(a) hold ’em;
(b) five-card draw;
(c) five-card stud;
(d) seven-card stud.
Answer: (c). The form of poker used to determine the world champion in the movie “The Cincinnati Kid” was five-card stud.
-
What famous casino personality helped found the most prominent tournament used to determine world champions today?
(a) Benny Binion;
(b) Donald Trump;
(c) Merv Griffin;
(d) Steve Wynn.
Answer: (a). Benny Binion was the famous casino personality who was instrumental in the founding of the world’s most prominent poker tournament — the World Series of Poker.
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What is the last name of “Amarillo Slim”?
(a) Alverez;
(b) Thompson;
(c) Barclay;
(d) Preston.
Answer: (d). The surname of “Amarillo Slim” is Preston.
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Poker was first played in 1922…
(a) True;
(b) False.
Answer: (b). Poker was not first played in 1922. It was common in the 1800s and possibly earlier.
-
Which statement is false about the first World Poker Finals at Foxwoods in Connecticut…
(a) It had a $10,000 buy-in championship event won by Mike Sexton who now co-hosts the World Poker Tour;
(b) It was named by Mike Caro;
(c) It was the first major poker tournament to use a four-color deck;
(d) It had all final tables televised live.
Answer: (d). The only false statement about the first World Poker Finals held at Foxwoods in Connecticut in 1992 was that it had all its final tables televised. Mike Sexton won its $10,000 buy-in championship event, it was named by Mike Caro, and it was the first major tournament to use a four-color deck – all true.
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The first major poker event to use hold ‘em as the championship game was…
(a) The Super Bowl of Poker;
(b) The Mid-America Poker Classic;
(c) Bob Stupak’s Poker Spectacular;
(d) The World Series of Poker.
Answer: (d). The World Series of Poker was the first major poker event to use hold ’em as its championship game.
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The first online site to offer poker for real money was….
(a) Doyle’s Room;
(b) Party Poker;
(c) Planet Poker;
(d) Paradise Poker.
Answer: (c). Planet Poker was the first online site to offer poker for real money. It was launched in 1997.
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Until the 1980s, only forms of five-card draw could be played in public cardrooms in California…
(a) True;
(b) False.
Answer: (a). It’s true that only forms of five-card draw poker were deemed legal for public casinos in California until the 1980s. It wasn’t until the law was challenged as not specifically excluding other poker forms that hold ‘em and seven-card stud were introduced. That happened 50 years after card casinos became profitable, established major enterprises in California.
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Which of the following Las Vegas casinos did not have a poker room prior to the 1990s…
(a) Binion’s Horseshoe;
(b) Sahara;
(c) Stardust;
(d) Dunes.
Answer: (a). Binion’s Horseshoe was the only Las Vegas casino among those listed not to have a poker room regularly operating before the 1990s. The Sahara, the Stardust, and the Dunes did.
