44 | LIFE IN SOLERA | APRIL 2026 |
How Texas Hold'em came to be, part
1: This popular poker game started in
Robstown, TX, in the early 1900s when a
cowboy hat was a must wear item. Before
Hold'em, most people played Five-Card
Draw. The problem with the Draw was
you could only play a few people before
the deck ran out, and the betting rounds
were limited. Hold'em changed the game
by introducing community cards, which
allowed more players to stay in the hand and
created munch more complex strategies.
The games stayed a regional secret for
decades until a group of legendary
Texas road gamblers brought it to
Las Vegas in 1967. The most notable
figures included Crandell Addington,
Doyle Brunson, and Amarillo Slim. They
debuted the game at the California Club, but
it didn't take off immediately because it was
tucked away in a corner. It wasn't until it
moved to the high-end Binion's Horseshoe
that the "thinking man's game" started
attracting serious attention.
Part II in next months' Life in Solera.
The poker group plays every Tuesday
night at 4 pm in Oakmont Room #3. Please
arrive at 3:45 pm to get signed in, find a seat
at a table and then mingle with the other
players before the game starts.
If you are interested in joining, please
contact Patrick Hydo at (858) 353-5241 or at
Patrick33hydo@outlook.com. You can also
find Patrick setting up for poker between
2:45 and 3:35 pm on Tuesday in Oakmont
Room #3. He's more than happy to answer
your questions!
TUESDAY
NIGHT
POKER
