When you think about it, a significant portion of music in the world has always revolved around a handful of subjects: love, heartbreak, growing up, conquering challenges, and so on. These have always been prominent themes in music and likely always will be, simply because they’re things everyone can relate to and be moved by. Across the eras of modern music though, there are also some smaller themes that have proven to be oddly persistent. And one that it’s hard not to notice is poker.

From Kenny Rogers, to AC/DC, to Lady Gaga, artists of all kinds have invoked poker in various ways over the years. We even wrote about a music video by The Man Who a couple years ago in which poker scenes play a prominent role! The game just seems to pop up a lot in music, even though it makes for a much more “niche” subject than some of those listed above. It’s certainly a little bit odd, but at the same time we have some theories about why it is that so many musicians invoke poker.

The Game is Popular

This may sound like an obvious point, but it’s actually one that many either don’t recognize or take for granted. Some see poker as an old-fashioned game, enjoyed by past generations of Vegas-bound men wearing suits and smoking cigarettes. But while that vision does speak to a certain era of poker, the game remains beloved today. As Gala Casino put it in a piece on the most popular casino games, poker is “widely enjoyed around the world,” and is particularly prevalent in the U.S. and western Europe. Given that these are also the regions where most of the musicians we talk about in the western world hail from, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that poker keeps popping up in good songs and music videos. The game has been wildly popular for decades, and it’s only natural that plenty of songwriters have been among its fans.

There’s Easy Symbolism

It’s also worth noting that many if not most famous songs that invoke poker do so only to use the easy symbolism that the game provides. For instance, the legendary line ”You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em” from “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers isn’t literally about poker. It’s a metaphorical line about knowing when to stick with something or walk away. Likewise, Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” is not about poker at all. Contact Music recounted years ago that Gaga herself has explained that the song has to do with concealing her bisexual preferences from male partners. She merely used the well-understood idea of a “poker face” to express the idea. The game is just so widely known and so simple to grasp that artists seem to find it suitable for this kind of symbolism in music.

Musicians Have Personal Associations

Another simple explanation for poker references in music is that a lot of musicians happen to have personal associations with games and casinos! Perhaps the clearest example in this regard is Frank Sinatra, whose rendition of “Luck Be A Lady” often comes up in conversations about poker and casino themes in music. Sinatra didn’t actually write this song, but he made it famous enough to remain known for decades. Part of the reason why is that he essentially did the same thing to the city of Las Vegas. As Recording Academy state in a Medium post a few years ago, Sinatra didn’t put Vegas on the map, but he made it worth the trip. In a sense, it’s only natural that an artist so closely tied to the poker capital of the world would become known for some gaming-related music.

So Far, Poker is Timeless

It’s also important that poker has so far proven to be timeless. It evolves, certainly. Players dress more casually at casino tables than in Sinatra’s day for one thing. For another, a ton of poker today is played online. But the game is always present, and there’s no reason it won’t continue to be for decades if not centuries to come. Anything that not only endures but remains popular and prominent for that long is bound to inspire culture. That has always meant that there are songs about poker, and it likely means that there will continue to be moving forward.

Even given all of these explanations, it’s almost strange how many popular songs over the years have revolved around a card game. But the good news is that most of the songs are pretty good, and as stated there are likely more hits to come.

This post is sponsored by poker.org