Today, it is unquestionable that Texas Hold’em Poker is the most commonly played Poker game anywhere in the world. It has mostly gained its popularity from the World Series of Poker Tournament, World Poker Tour and other televised events these days. The World Series of Poker has been held annually since its opening date in 1970 at the Horseshoe in Downtown Las Vegas. Every year since then, more and more Texas Hold’em Poker Tournaments have developed on a global scale, and many people are trying to get in on the action. The global revolution of poker can also be thanked partly to Chris MoneyMaker, a normal accountant from Tennessee who took down the WSOP main event in 2003. Chris Moneymaker gave every normal individual hope that anyone can play poker and anyone can win, as long you play the game and your opponents correctly, ( Chris MoneyMaker Plays At Poker Stars ).
Online poker is the new craze and it’s Worldwide, a multibillion-dollar industry and it continues to grow. The three factors behind its increased profile are television coverage of big tournaments, the convenience of playing online and the enjoyment and challenge of the game itself. Internet Poker has its pros and cons, (I personally prefer to play live), however on the internet you have 24 hours access, you remain anonymous, you can play more hands and play multiple tables at once and you also have access to big tournaments with prize pools in excess of $500,000. So it’s pretty easy to see why people get addicted pretty quickly. Compared with most other forms of gambling, poker is compelling because, online or off, it relies far more on a player’s skill than, say, roulette or blackjack, says Party Poker consultant and world series host, Mike Sexton.
In Australia, the win by Joe Hachem at the WSOP main event which made him an instant millionaire has caused poker to become one the most popular games played in Australia. Hachem Stunned the world of poker after beating a record-breaking 5,618 player field in the World Series of Poker 2005, where he won a tremendous prize cash sum of $7,500,000. Joseph Hachem used to work as a mortgage broker and a chiropractor before his fortune changed and he struck gold in the world of poker, Joe has made the average Australian believe that they to have a shot at the WSOP and can become a multi millionaire ( Joe Hachem Plays At Poker Stars ). Anyhow the game has taken the country by storm and you can play poker at almost every pub in Sydney for absolutely free and win cash, poker nights are rapidly becoming a popular fixture in Sydney pubs and clubs. The National Poker League (NPL) and The Australian Poker League (APL) have tournaments set up all over Sydney and the number of clubs participating has increased exponentially over the past few years.
“Australian Hotels Association executive officer David Elliott said the popularity of the nights had taken off in the past six months following Mr Hachem’s big win, in which he pocketed $US7.5 million ($10 million).”
“Poker nights have become the new trivia nights,” Mr Elliott said. “Both pubs and clubs have taken it by storm.”
To give you an idea of how many people are now playing with real-money online, have a look at PokerPulse.com. Poker Pulse keeps tabs on the top online poker rooms and tracks how many real-money poker games are running at any point in time. Some estimates based upon these statistics suggest that online poker room companies are turning over in excess of $110 million U.S. every 24 hours, with hundreds of thousands of online players active any given evening.
So, with the worldwide inertia that poker has today, how far can it go? Will it be here for a while than suddenly disappear? Will it be just another fad and memory, with occasional reminders like Smokey and the Bandit? Hard to say for sure, but with the momentum, advertising and so many young people, including many teenagers and children playing across the Internet these days, it could be that the poker big bang has occurred and its expansion has only really begun. A lot of people are having fun playing in online poker rooms, at traditional casinos in their own home games, and at pubs and clubs- On the other end of the spectrum there are an army of people supplying the demand for this revolution and they are making a ton of money in the process. It is up to you how you want to cash in on this revolution.
