Stud-Horse Poker Dictionary ( poker )

 

Supposedly an early form of stud poker, but, in fact, a game that no one really knows how to play. A portion of the California Constitution (Section 330) legislates against certain games of chance by name, including roulette, blackjack, something called lansquenet, and, notably, stud-horse poker. Even though attorneys-general of the state had no idea what the game was, they used that apparent ban for a long time to prevent the playing of any form of poker that was not draw. Some historians think stud-horse poker was a variant of three-card monte, that is, a sucker game in which the sucker had no chance. Eventually the government quit prosecuting clubs in which hold 'em was played, because judges ruled it was not stud. Once the "door was opened," other games were permitted, including stud, and even games like super pan 9, California aces, and 21st Century Blackjack that clearly bear little resemblance to poker. And nobody knows yet what stud-horse poker is.