While today we can easily have fun betting online, without risking anything other than a few pennies, in the past (and perhaps even today, who knows?) there were those who put much more than their own pockets at the green table. International agreements, secret alliances, even wars… everything could be decided with a good bluff or a royal flush!
Whether this is a positive fact or not, only history will tell.
Richard Nixon: the president who financed his campaign with poker
Did you think that presidential campaigns were financed only with donations from wealthy supporters?
In 1946, young Nixon was a penniless lawyer with big political ambitions. How did he finance his first campaign for Congress? Simple: with poker!
A presidential ace in the hole
But don’t think that Nixon stopped playing once he entered politics. Oh no! It’s said that during his plane rides as vice president, Nixon loved to host poker games with reporters in tow. Who knows how many political indiscretions were exchanged between one hand and the next!
And here’s the kicker: Some historians say that Nixon’s bluffing skills at the poker table also helped him in his political career. Too bad his last big bluff, Watergate, didn’t quite go as planned!
Dwight D. Eisenhower: The general who won the war (and lost at poker)
Let’s go back a few years. You know Dwight D. Eisenhower, right? The general who led the Allies to victory in World War II and later became the 34th president of the United States. Well, what you may not know is that Ike was an avid poker player.
It is said that during the war, Eisenhower liked to relax with a few games of poker between one battle and another. But be careful, because our hero had a little problem: he was a terrible player!
A bluff that cost him dearly
There is a famous story that circulates among military historians. During a particularly heated game, Eisenhower found himself playing against a young lieutenant. The general, confident that he had a winning hand, kept raising until he put all his war savings on the table: a whopping $1,800!
The result? A stinging defeat. The lieutenant had a full house of aces, while Ike only had a pair of kings. Imagine the scene: the future president of the United States losing all his money to a subordinate! Luckily, Eisenhower was a better military player than a poker player.
Harry Truman: The President Who Played Poker in His Underwear
And what about Harry Truman, the 33rd President of the United States? This small, harmless-looking man was actually a real poker shark. But his real specialty? Playing in his underwear!
Yes, you read that right. During the sweltering Washington summers, Truman liked to host poker games on the back porch of the White House. And to beat the heat, he and his fellow players often found themselves in their shirts and underwear!