Why All the Excitement Over Poker?

Poker's new upsurge in popularity in is due to televised showings of championship poker tournaments, such as The World Poker Tour and The World Series of Poker. This has resulted in millions of people all over the world playing either online or at land based casinos. Even movie stars and professional athletes are getting into tournament action. This really became evident when actor Ben Affleck won $356,400 and a tournament title at Commerce Casino's California State Poker Championship in June 2004.

And big business likes poker too. Bear Stearns estimated that annual revenue from poker was $4.5 billion in 2003. Another analyst group feels 2005 revenue will exceed $10 billion. PokerPulse.com stated that $200,463,154 .00 was wagered at online poker rooms in a 24 hour period on March 13, 2005.

People see the excitement and money that is involved in poker tournaments by watching poker on TV, which is one reason the perception of poker gambling went from being played in dark rooms to a preferred status. The seasoned professional players are excited about this as well. They are not winning as many tournaments as they have in the past due to the influx of many new players, but they are winning more than even because of their levels of expertise at the game.

Plus, the makeup of the top players has been changing. In the past only people who played for years and built up instincts for knowing how to win were champions. Now the newer top players are highly educated, highly successful and are analytical in nature. You will see individuals from top professions like Financial Analyst, Rocket Scientist, Attorney, and Mathematician along with industry CEO's in the ranks of champion. People like Phil Ivey and Chris Ferguson who can perform mathematical calculations in their heads with ease will be the future.

But not having an Ivy League education won't stop enthusiastic poker players from playing the game. On a televised episode of the 2004 World Series of Poker tournament, a former homeless man stated in a game he got off of the streets by learning to play poker. He stated that he learned the game by losing $1500.00, one penny at a time. (For the record he did not win that tournament, but did leave Binion's with over $40,000 in cash.)

And with the 2003 and 2004 World Series of Poker Champions earning their seats from online poker room tournaments, the Internet will eventually be the main producer of players. A huge number of online poker rooms have been sponsoring seats to top tournaments with buy ins less than $100, which is a far cry from the standard entry fees for these events at land based casinos. So keep an eye on what is going on in the poker world, because the excitement is just getting started!

Tom Howze is a webmaster for 7 sites that relate to online gambling,
world series of poker and world poker tour events and updates.
For more information, please visit 2005 World Series of Poker

He can be reached at webmaster@justgambleforfree.com for questions.

In The News:

Powered by Feedzilla


Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

A Beginners Guide to Poker Chips

Poker is one game that has influenced almost whole of... Read More

Tips & Strategies for Slot Players

1. Always play with money you can afford to lose.Let's... Read More

Video Poker

Video poker is usually played against a machine, which displays... Read More

Video Poker Variations

Unlike many other more "social" casino games, video poker is... Read More

Poker Online Freeroll Tournaments

Poker online freeroll tournaments are a huge way to leverage... Read More

2005 NFC South Football Preview

OVERVIEW: NFC SouthIn the NFC South look for Tampa Bay... Read More

States Lottery Basics

For those who dream of quitting their jobs and being... Read More

Addictions To Gambling on The Rise!

Over the past five years addictions to gambling have grown... Read More

Online Poker Tournaments -- Time to get aboard

Online poker tournaments are skyrocketing in popularity due to reasons... Read More

The Secrets of the Inside Numbers

The CrapshooterThe Secret of The Inside NumbersPssst...! Wanna know a... Read More

Heres an Easy Exercise to Improve Your Texas Holdem Play

Many beginning Texas Holdem players develop a playing style that... Read More

Dos and Donts of a Successful Soccer-punter

Bet only what you can afford. Define a bankroll at... Read More

The Joys Of Playing Internet Poker

I started playing poker on the internet about six months... Read More

Online Casino - What Is It?

Entertaining industry conquerors more and more space of our lives.... Read More

Texas Holdem Tournament Poker Strategy - Betting Is Communicating

The "Language" of Poker BetsWe humans are very perceptive creatures.... Read More

Becoming a Consistent Winner at Online Low-Limit Texas Hold Em

Start with LIMIT Texas Hold 'EmBoth limit and no-limit Texas... Read More

Online Roulette ? A Brief History

The term "Roulette" is French and in essence it means... Read More

How To Have The Most Fun Playing Holdem Poker At Home

Holdem poker is taking the country by storm as one... Read More

Always Win in the Casino Like James Bond

In the Bond film 'Diamonds Are Forever' we see James... Read More

The Secrets of the Fives and Nines

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of the... Read More

How to Succeed in the Poker Freerolls Part 2

How to Succeed in the Poker Freerolls Part 1 looked... Read More

How to Win Texas Holdem

Texas Hold'em...minutes to learn, life time to master. One of... Read More

Helpful Stop Gambling Links & Information For The Compulsive Gambler, Family & Friends Of A Gambler

Over the past few years stop gambling websites have helped... Read More

Why Do People Gamble?

Gambling is the act of wagering money on the outcome... Read More

Compulsive Gamblers Guilt Affects Their Gambling Addiction Recovery

When a compulsive gambler is in recovery, feeling guilty is... Read More