Gone will be the days when poker was played in back rooms by a handful of regular players. Now it appears as if you can not turn on the television without seeing coverage of a poker tournament or instructional show. The media has jumped on the poker band wagon, fueling its popularity.

Poker, particularly Texas Hold-’em style, is broadcast on major networks such as Bravo, ESPN and also the Travel Channel. The Travel Channel reports that their World Series of Poker shows are among the highest rated in their lineup.

You can find World Championship games, tournaments and even a show where all the players are celebrities (irrespective of their poker skills). The shows are hosted by current poker players, many of whom are extremely successful at their profession. The media coverage has turned many of these players into mini celebrities in their own right.

One thing that is appealing to television viewers is that poker is comparatively easy to learn. Most of the televisions shows have a primer originally, explaining the different hands and betting procedures. For this reason, in essence, a novice could sit down at a table and begin to play. Which isn’t to say they are going to do well! A common saying with poker is «5 minutes to learn, a lifetime to master».

Included in the success in drawing interest to poker is the ‘hole camera’. The hole camera is a camera lens at every player’s seat which permits the viewer at home to view what cards each player is holding. This way you are able to see the action unfold and may learn from watching what players do. You may even find yourself rooting for someone to take a specific action, forgetting that they cannot see what you may! The hosts of the show will often explain what they expect the players to do, based on what they can be seeing from how another player bets, or reacts to the action. So you may actually pick up quite a couple of playing tips just by listening to the commentary.

The television popularity of poker has spilled over into other areas besides television. Many casinos who did not offer poker before now hold tournaments. And retail sales of poker related items has surged as well. You can go into any large chain bookstore and find out dozens of books on poker, whereas five years ago their might happen to be a handful. The sale of poker chips, home poker tables and even poker home decor has taken off.

The net has also taken a slice out of the poker pie. The rise in the range of safe online casino casinos has skyrocketed within the last few years, with larger businesses such as Party Poker or Ultimate Bet actually sponsoring players within the live televised tournaments. Many online casinos give a free version, the place you can play poker without actually investing any money.

With the surge in popularity of poker, it is very important to understand that it really is gambling and will lead to addiction or maybe bankruptcy! There seems to be no slow down within the ratings for shows, so poker will be here for quite a while to come.