Poker has been somewhat of an interesting phenomenon the past few decades. Before the twenty-first century, and well before that, poker was deemed as a game for cheats and cardsharps. Novice players, also known as “fish” would attempt to play with the seasoned professionals, and in a short time, they would be left with only their complimentary drink and a story to tell. Fast-forward to present day. No-Limit Texas Hold em’[1], a variation of poker is a house-hold game. Four months ago, the 41st World Series of Poker began, showcasing 57 different events[2]. According to PokerNews.com, the events attracted over 70,000 players in total, contributing $180 million in the overall prize pool.[3] Just forty years ago, six gentlemen sat down, ponied up $10,000 of their own money and played in the first ever World Series of Poker[4]. The top prize that year: $30,000
The kind of exponential growth the game of poker underwent poses the question, just how did this happen? The game of poker has been around for hundreds of years. American historical figures such as Mark Twain have written about playing the game[5]. So what happened this decade that allowed the game to spread like wildfire?
This blogger believes reason the game of poker has become such a widespread phenomenon is due to the innovative method in which media has chosen to cover it. Specifically, this blog will examine media coverage of tournament poker, leaving some exceptions for what are called “cash games”. Tournament poker can be defined as a game where people “buy-in” for a predetermined amount of money. Once players “buy-in” they are given an equal amount of tournament chips as every other person who has bought in for the tournament. Once the tournament has begun, it does not stop until one player has collected all of the tournament chips. The winner of the tournament collects the prize pool. When there is a large amount of players, more than first place receives money.
Cash game poker can be defined as a perpetual game of poker, where players are free to come and go as they please, and it is played for real dollars. For example, if you were playing in a cash game with a stakes of $1/$2, you could put $60-$300 down on the table and play at the agreed stakes. You may play as many hands as you desire and leave whenever you choose.
Although there are media outlets that cover cash games, the reason for poker’s rising popularity comes from tournament poker, and media’s coverage of it.
Referenced previously in this blog, the World Series of Poker is the world’s largest poker tournament series, held annually in Las Vegas. It is considered the bell-weather for the livelihood of the poker economy. If total entries are up, the general consensus is that the poker economy is rising, but if the total entries are down, one must worry about the game’s fate.
Similarly, the World Series of Poker has been given much credit for creating what is called the first “poker boom,” in 2003, where the amount of entries to the “Main Event” a $10,000 buy-in tournament, boasting the year’s largest prize pool, spiked from 839 to 2,576 in 2004[6].
How did this event go from six players in 1971, boasting a first prize of $30,000 to 8,773 paying $12,000,000 to the eventual winner in 2008?
This blog will examine the impact of the various forms of media coverage of tournament poker, and how its innovations brought the game from obscurity to mainstream.
Next week, this blog will examine the impact televised poker has had on the industry of tournament poker. This blog will focus on the innovation of Henry Orenstein’s “hole-cam,” which allows viewers to see players’ cards while the hand is being played out.
[1] No Limit Texas Hold Em’ is by far the most popular game currently running. It is the game of choice for most recreational players, and is the game that decides the world champion of the World Series of Poker in the “Main Event.”
