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Why was poker once considered unsuitable for mixed social gatherings in the United States?
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poker
A poker hand containing five cards of the same suit but not in sequence is called a flush.
For nearly 100 years in the United States, poker was primarily viewed as a gambling game intended for men, which rendered it unsuitable for polite or mixed social gatherings.1
This perception persisted throughout the 19th century, during which the game became a staple in saloons throughout the American "Wild West". It was not until after the 1920s that the game's popularity expanded to include both sexes and all levels of society, eventually becoming a favored pastime for both American men and women.1