Without getting into specifics, specifics regarding money being vulgar and all, I’ve made more in the last three hours playing poker than I would otherwise make in a week. God bless the poker explosion.
The only factual answer I’m aware of is that the lipstick camera coincided with (caused?) the surge in popularity.
My theory is that Americans are rabid about strategy in general*, and poker is one of the better examples of a purely strategic game. Chess has to contend with the geek/dweeb stereotype, whereas poker has always been seen as “cool”. Cool+strategy=guaranteed succes, IMO.
- I find no other earthly reason to explain MLB’s popularity.
As a long time social poker player ( and card player in general), I hate it. Everyone you talk to says they know how to play poker. When you talk to them about it, you frequently realize all to quickly that they know how to play Texas Hold 'em. If you ask about Stud, Hi-Lo, or any other variation, their eyes glaze over. On the other hand, my brother loves it. He owns a bar in my home town in Oklahoma, and he makes a killing playing in games he hosts as newbies come in and want to knock off the (local) big name. The games he plays in aren’t at his bar, that was just an extra factoid to indicate what type of person he is.
He has kind of a dry sense of humor. He was telling me last week about how some know it all came in to his bar talking smack about the ins and outs of Hold 'em. After the guy rambled on for a while my brother said “Wow, that sounds a lot like gambling”. The guy never knew he was being poked fun of. :rolleyes:
E3
You have a tell.
I think it’s some sort of combination of the internet, increased TV presence, and the fact that it seems, at first glance, possible for anyone to win. People have already noted that amateurs and relative newcomers have won some main events at the WSOP, as well as a bunch of the small WSOP events.
Take a look at attendance at the WSOP Main Event, the $10,000 No-Limit Hold-Em event. In 2001, there were just over 500 entrants; in 2002 it was 631; in 2003, it rose to 839; and last year it increased by about 200% to over 2,400 players.
This year, organizers are expecting between 5,000 and 6,000 players in the main event, and they’ve had to move the early rounds to a whole new venue because Binion’s Horseshoe Casino can’t cope with the players, let alone the audience and the media.
The interesting thing is that, while these huge increases in numbers make it more likely that the event will be won by an amateur, it also means that the odds of any particular amateur (i.e., you) winning are dropping dramatically. And these massive increases also make it less likely that the pros will win. Even though poker is a game of skill, and given enough time and enough opportunities, the pros will always take money from the amateurs, the fact is that the huge avalanche of people entering the fray means that the pros get overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and all it takes is some amateurish calls to knock out a great player.
(submitted my my testosterone-soaked avatar)
Or, worse yet, sorority girls. I swear that Texas Hold 'Em has the girliest rules of any game that doesn’t involve sticking one card on your forehead. “Ooh, people are out of the game too fast if they have to ante every hand! It’s just a friendly game so let’s stretch it out as long as we can.”
There ain’t no such thing as a “friendly game of poker” and the sooner people learn that the better it will be for them. Five Card Draw, nothing wild.
Phht. 8 card draw, deuces, fours, queens, and aces wild. THAT’S a girly game!
Actually, it’s a kid’s game.
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I guess I can’t just stick R.A.H.'s contribution into the thread as a quote and leave it without commentary, I guess you really do learn something new every day.
-DF