California Gold Rush
The California gold rush in 1848-1855 began when gold was found at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The thousands of greenhorn gold rushers in 1849 were quickly followed by merchants, saloon owners, and professional gamblers. After the backbreaking work of panning for gold any diversion was a welcome relief. Alcohol consumption escalated to astonishing levels and gambling the leading leisure activity.
Early Regulation
The cultivation of poker in California was made possible by an omission in the state constitution of 1879 which outlawed all forms of gambling, including five-card stud poker. Missing from the prohibition was draw poker as draw was thought to be a game of skill. This kept California poker limited to draw games for over 40 years. In 1911, the Attorney General issued an opinion that recognized draw poker as a “skill,” and it still protects California’s cardrooms today.
L.A Poker
In 1937, gambling reform started in Los Angeles County at a cardroom in the little town of Gardena. The City of Gardena placed a $50-per-table tax on cardrooms and limited the number of tables to 36. In the early 1950s, players typically paid the house 50 cents an hour for a seat at a poker table. The introduction in the late 1980s big payouts appeared in the form of Texas Hold’em tournaments.
Gambling Control Act
Under the California Gambling Control Act (GCA), private cardroom owners, managers, and employees are required to be licensed by the state. State law allows for a poker game to be played in a private setting as long as the host does not charge a rake. This caused private cardroom operators to adopt a model where players would pay a fee to the house on an per-hour basis or some combination of table fees.
In 2024, there were 82 active cardroom licenses that collectively have 2,200 tables.
Poker Origins