As early as the sixteenth century, Germans played a bluffing game called "Pochen." It later developed into a French version, called "Poque," which was eventually brought over to New Orleans and played on the riverboats that plied the Mississippi. In the 1830s, the game was refined further and became known as Poker.

For professional poker players, Austria is still a paradise due to the tax exemption on winnings, which is why many poker professionals have been drawn there. Especially the capital, Vienna, is the hotspot for poker players. However, there are fewer and fewer poker rooms that still offer their services there.