How Have Retro Poker Games Set the Stage for Online Poker’s Popularity?

Retro games have enjoyed enduring appeal and popularity throughout the years. In our previous article on, we mentioned how these classic video games are seeing a resurgence due to a powerful combination of nostalgia and more straightforward playing mechanics that are typically not present in modern games.

Retro games transport players to specific moments in their lives, establishing emotional connections and creating psychological anchors to more carefree days. Their simple mechanics and narrative structure also contribute to a straightforward gaming experience, enabling players to lock in on core gameplay loops instead of worrying about complex stories and complicated instructions.

Poker was a common theme in several retro games in the 1980s and 1990s. These classic games predate the online poker boom in the early 2000s, which was ushered in by Chris Moneymaker’s historic World Series of Poker Main Event win and encouraged more online poker players to compete in high-stakes games. But while Moneymaker is often credited with the boom of online poker, retro poker games paved the way for many players to try their hand at the card game. Read on to look back at some retro poker games throughout history and how they may have contributed to online poker’s current popularity:

A Look Back at Some Retro Poker Games

Retro video games have allowed players to enjoy their introductions to casino games and poker from the comfort of their own homes. In 1984, Casino Royal became available on the 8-bit home computer ZX Spectrum. It featured two gambling games: roulette, where players bet on the landing number from a spinning wheel, and pontoon, where players try to get a hand closer to 21 without exceeding it. Then, in 1989, the ZX Spectrum offered Monte Carlo Casino, which included classic casino games like poker, blackjack, and roulette. Before the era of online poker, games like these introduced a generation of players to the fundamentals of the card game, creating a dedicated fanbase of enthusiasts that would eventually contribute to online poker’s eventual boom into the mainstream.

Credit: The VideoGames Museum on YouTube

Meanwhile, the casino video game High Stakes Gambling was released for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1992. The game takes place during the Great Depression and includes five missions. In each mission, players compete against a Mafia member in four rounds of casino games, with the three preliminary rounds being blackjack, slot machines, and video poker. The final round is five-card draw poker. During each preliminary round, winners get awarded a $10,000 bonus and five draw poker points that players can use in the final round. The variety of missions helped gamers grasp the thrill of poker games on a more mobile device. With the first Game Boy selling over a hundred million units worldwide, games like High Stakes Gambling saw exposure to a wide audience.

Credit: Tommy Suave on YouTube

In 1993, the classic gambling video game Vegas Stakes was released, enabling players to master casino games like roulette and slot machines. Inside the game, players can enjoy playing in four casinos in Las Vegas, and a fifth one can be unlocked if gamers make enough money to be deemed a high roller.

Among them is a sci-fi-themed casino called The 2020 that offers a futuristic atmosphere while playing. It also provides multiple-choice mini-adventures to help keep gamers engaged and entertained. Through Vegas Stakes, retro game players of the time were able to learn the fundamentals of casino games that they’d eventually be able to gamble real money on, preparing them for the high-stakes thrill of online poker.

A Pivotal Shift

The first online casino, Internet Casinos, Inc., was launched in 1994. This marked a new era for accessing casino games that were previously primarily available through consoles. By 1997, more than 200 websites were offering a range of gambling activities like casino games, sports betting, and setting up poker rooms. This significant shift from physical consoles to the virtual world marked a pivotal turning point for poker, as it helped more players access the game. The hype and thrill that retro poker games helped build contributed to online poker’s appeal and educated players on the mechanics of poker and other casino games. Early exposure to these retro games played a crucial role in laying the groundwork for online poker’s success, which is still sustained today.

Sustained Popularity

Credit: IGN on YouTube

Several poker-themed video games have continued to emerge over the years, including Chris Moneymaker’s World Poker Championship, a PC game where players can compete in virtual poker tournaments. This PC game adopted several innovations, like AI players that gamers compete against to progress through the ranks and reach the final table, where they can go all in against Moneymaker. Other online poker games like Balatro have helped players enjoy the basics of poker while adding their unique twists to move to the next round, highlighting the evolution of the card game. These games are possible thanks to the impacts of the retro games that paved the way for online poker’s widespread appeal.

According to World Poker Tour data, online poker is among the most popular gaming types, with 60 million individuals playing online poker regularly in the US alone. Today, state regulations and legal workarounds have enabled a vibrant online poker scene in some areas of the country. In California, for instance, state laws allow live poker in licensed card rooms like Bicycle Casino and Commerce Casino. While online poker in California is not yet fully legalized, thousands of Californians continue to enjoy it by using the poker platform ACR Poker. This practice exists within a legal gray area, as the state does not directly prosecute players, but it does not have regulatory protections for offshore platforms, making reputable sites with robust security practices and timely payouts like ACR Poker a safe and popular choice for online poker enthusiasts.

Other states like Nevada and New Jersey have already legalized online poker. Meanwhile, a gambling bill in Connecticut was filed earlier this year, which seeks to include the state in an online poker compact. SB01464, filed by Rep. Tony Scott, would allow Connecticut to join a multi-state Internet gaming agreement that authorizes online gaming operators to do multijurisdictional Internet gaming for peer-to-peer poker games. Although Connecticut legalized online poker in 2021, no poker operators have launched in the state. In January, New York State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. also expressed interest in bringing online poker to the Big Apple.

The influence of retro poker games is undeniable. Online poker’s sustained popularity is thanks in no small part to these retro poker games, which introduced poker to a generation of players and sparked their interest in the card game — an interest that has extended beyond consoles and into the online space of players today.