| Article: Poker on TV
Copyright © 2005 Tom Howze
Gamble for Free
http://www.justgambleforfree.com/
Poker on TV has been the catalyst that allows millions of people
to view real poker being played by today's young guns and poker
legends. A day does not go by without advertising for another
Texas Hold'Em TV poker scheduled event for cable or television.
It is becoming the basis for corporate investment in a growing
industry and a motivation for players to enter numerous
tournaments that offer millions of dollars. Software is being
developed for hand held devices and cell phones to play poker.
Deals are being made to broadcast live tournaments over the
Internet from land based casinos. And if that's not enough, then
there are a growing number of television shows based on poker.
Even charity events are bringing in money for those who need
it behind the affection started by televised tournament events.
Plus women are coming to the tables in droves, along with
magazines on different versions of the game like Texas Hold'Em
marketed especially to women. And the end is not in sight for
this trend as more people learn to enjoy and watch the game of
poker.
With an estimated 50,000,000 people in the United States alone
who play the game, corporations began scrambling to capitalize
for all the money that could be made when tournament event
ratings showed reflection of the public's appetite. ESPN's
poker audience went from 408,000 viewers in 2003 to 1,300,000
per broadcast in 2004. The 2005 World Series of Poker broadcasts
will have over 2,000,000 people watching each televised episode
when ESPN starts showing them in June. World Poker Tour episodes
will be shown in 60 countries and if Steve Lipscomb has his way
this will increase to 200 countries. And others are close behind
with programs like Celebrity Poker and Poker at the Plaza which
are pulling in big ratings. Online poker rooms are now becoming a
billion dollar industry. They provide many satellite tournaments
that anyone can play in to get a chance to be a television star
competing for big bucks. Even states within America such as North
Dakota, Illinois and Georgia are competing to pass legislation
to legalize poker over the Internet for a piece of the revenue
pie, despite the direction of the federal government. Outside
of the U.S., England is at the threshold of permitting its
land-based casinos to take bets online from U.S. citizens.
Proponents of the game state that the effects of the televised
tournaments toward society are positive. Enough to where a
person can find "family nights" for playing being offered by
organizations promoting the game. Many of the present day
champions have stated that they learned how to play from ages
as young as 5 from their parents or relatives at home. Kids and
teenagers with guidance can learn how to plan strategy, manage
money, solve complex problems and understand the psychology of
human beings. But every coin has two sides. A concerned number
of people are voicing the opinion that the creation of gambling
addicts is taking place. More and more land-based and online
casinos are taking this seriously by offering help for gambling
addiction and the creation of new programs for assistance for
those who have problem issues. Having help available for players
will become increasingly important as the enthusiasm of the game
goes forward.
Is there a limit to the "all in" attitude for Texas Hold'Em
tournaments being watched by the public? With retail sales,
record ratings for television and cable plus big business
pouring millions into it, the trend is still clearly reflecting
the upswing. And if state legislation moves in favor of
regulation of the online gambling industry for the tax revenue,
it might not go away anytime soon. Because no one sits down at
a table looking to bust out early, they sit down to win.
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Tom Howze is a webmaster for 9 sites that relate to
2005
World Series of Poker and World Poker
Tour events, updates and resources for poker
on tv.
http://www.justgambleforfree.com/
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