Competitions and Tournaments

Competitions and Tournaments

In recent years, the poker world has undergone a truly radical transformation. There are a number of reasons behind this sea change, all of which contribute to the current situation, in which a game that was once the provence of hardened professional gamblers is now enjoyed by folks from all walks of life. In this way, poker has proved itself to be a truly democratic game, and one which could only have been born in America (feel free to stand and salute the flag if the spirit moves you).

One of the most dramatic ways in which poker has evolved is the realm of competitions and tournaments. Back in the wild old days - and, by this, I generally mean the 20th century up until the year 1970 - the only type of competitions you were likely to find consisted casual, often intensely private affairs held among gamblers on the rounder "circuit." In fact, the professional circuit did not even exist per se, but was simply a loosely organized collection of rounders, some of whom have become towering legends of the game. Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson, Amarillo Slim, T.J. Cloutier and Johnny Moss are among the most revered names on this short list.

Everything changed in 1970, when Benny Binion had the brainstorm of hosting the very first World Series of Poker in his famed (some might say notorious) Horseshoe casino on Fremont Street (a.k.a. Glitter Gulch) in Las Vegas. Though Binion probably didn't see it in this way, the inaugural WSOP was sort of like poker's coming out party, introducing the game to mainstream America in a big way. Since then, poker's popularity has continued to mushroom steadily.

In the past decade, several factors have really added fuel to the fire. The first of these is the introduction of satellite tournaments, by which players who are not necessarily professional gamblers can share a table with the big boys, even working their way to the final table at the WSOP. The Internet has radically expanded the availability of satellites to people all across the country, attracting droves of new competitors each year. And the recent boom of televised poker tournaments has acted like a gigantic magnet, turning this game into a spectator sport (by virtue of sophisticated camera technology allowing the audience to see players' hole cards) for the very first time in history.

It is only safe to assume that poker's popularity will continue to expand as more people tune in to watch the WSOP, the World Poker Tour and the brand-new Professional Poker Tour on cable TV. Also, you can expect a continual increase in online satellites as more and more people immerse themselves in the game. But where does it all end? How long can this bubble continue to swell before the inevitable burst? No one can answer that question for sure (well, maybe Kreskin) but my money is on a long, unbroken ride that surely will not come to a halt any time soon.