Posted in Poker December 23rd, 2009
Texas Hold ‘Em Explodes in Gambling Community
If you believe that everything really is “bigger in Texas,” then you can understand why Texas Hold ‘Em has become the hottest game in town. From a few hands of cards in Robstown, Texas in a saloon back in the 1900s, this game didn’t hit Vegas until 1967.
Texas gamblers Amarillo Slim, Doyle Brunson and Crandell Addington are credited with bringing that bit of Lone Star showdown to the strip. The famous Golden Nugget Casino was the hub of Texas Hold ‘Em for amateur players.
A few years later, the now defunct Dunes Casino tried to get the professional players into the game with a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament in 1969. A year later, the World Series of Poker opened with a no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em event featuring eight players.
Today, it’s the main event for this big draw series. In 1978, dedicated player, Doyle Brunson, wrote a strategy guide called Super System, which was followed by Al Alvarez’s book chronicling Texas Hold ‘Em as the feature attraction of the World Series of Poker.
Texas Hold ‘Em began showing up in the movies. The Rounders (1998) with Matt Damon featured a slick side to poker playing professionals. The film even featured an actual scene of the 1988 World Series of Poker showdown game between Erik Seidel and Johnny Chan.
Nothing fueled interest in Texas Hold ‘Em faster than the 1998 launch of online poker websites. Amateurs could hone their card skills cheaply and build a reputation in the poker community – all from the comfort of home.
Some poker sites provided online tournaments that were gateways to the World Series of Poker. In fact, the winners of the 2003 and 2004 World Series of Poker qualified as online players.
Texas Hold ‘Em has attracted so much worldwide attention that from the first World Series of Poker with eight players, the 2006 tournament drew over 8,000 entrants who played for a twelve million dollar grand prize.
Keeping the excitement going is a regular television series, World Poker Tour. As more and more sponsors sign on for these hugely popular tournaments, Texas Hold ‘Em – once relegated to smoke-filled back rooms in cheap joints – is now a major draw on sports networks.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 10:02 am and is filed under Poker. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
