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When will poker enter the mainstream?
- 3-11-2010
Poker has come a long way. From its humble beginnings in Louisiana in the 1820’s, to the many various forms we know today, poker has picked up quite a fan base. There are many different poker games and some players prefer one over another for various reasons. To the majority of the country poker is gambling. Whether the forces against poker players are political, religious, or cultural, people keep signing up to play and the growth of poker will not likely slow for anyone or anything.
Poker is a game. It has a basic set of rules that everyone follows and there are no language barriers. The convenience of play has expanded beyond a simple home game with buddies to a multi-billion dollar business on the internet. There are best selling books that have been written, and read, by multitudes of people. Movies, television shows, and even plays have been made about poker. Unfortunately there is still a stigma attached to our wonderful game.
The very first time you sat down to play poker you were probably with friends. Poker is a social game. You can find electronic video poker at a casino, but it is more fun to play with live opponents. The competition and stakes are always changing. Winning each hand becomes a challenge between you and someone else. You win some, you lose some, but there’s always hope for next time.
Celebrities like Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire, and Don Cheadle are known to play poker. Many politicians, including President Barack Obama, play or have played poker. Television networks have picked up poker themed shows and run with them. Even NBC, a major network, has the National Heads-up Poker Championship and ESPN has the World Series of Poker. The personalities of poker’s biggest stars have helped bring in countless fans. Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, and Daniel Negreanu are just a small group of players with followers around the world. For fellow poker players it is fun to track our favorite players. The fact we play the same game they do has a special appeal. Not everyone can dunk a basketball, but anyone can play some poker. That’s the key to helping poker become more acceptable across the country. Introduce your friends to poker. Show them why it is so exciting and how much fun you can have.
Discuss this article in our forum
Poker is a game. It has a basic set of rules that everyone follows and there are no language barriers. The convenience of play has expanded beyond a simple home game with buddies to a multi-billion dollar business on the internet. There are best selling books that have been written, and read, by multitudes of people. Movies, television shows, and even plays have been made about poker. Unfortunately there is still a stigma attached to our wonderful game.
The very first time you sat down to play poker you were probably with friends. Poker is a social game. You can find electronic video poker at a casino, but it is more fun to play with live opponents. The competition and stakes are always changing. Winning each hand becomes a challenge between you and someone else. You win some, you lose some, but there’s always hope for next time.
Celebrities like Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire, and Don Cheadle are known to play poker. Many politicians, including President Barack Obama, play or have played poker. Television networks have picked up poker themed shows and run with them. Even NBC, a major network, has the National Heads-up Poker Championship and ESPN has the World Series of Poker. The personalities of poker’s biggest stars have helped bring in countless fans. Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, and Daniel Negreanu are just a small group of players with followers around the world. For fellow poker players it is fun to track our favorite players. The fact we play the same game they do has a special appeal. Not everyone can dunk a basketball, but anyone can play some poker. That’s the key to helping poker become more acceptable across the country. Introduce your friends to poker. Show them why it is so exciting and how much fun you can have.

