Kenny Towne, left, and other poker players gather for the Texas Holdem tournament at Fagan’s, 1135 E. Evans Ave. The game is increasing in popularity.

Restaurateur Richard Hill, general manager of Fagan's Restaurant & Bar in south Denver, plans to see plenty of full houses this summer - in more ways than one.

Fagan's is hosting Texas Holdem poker tournaments on Monday nights this summer, hoping to hit the jackpot with an increasingly card-crazy public.

"The phone has not stopped ringing since we put the sign up," said Hill, referring to the large white banner outside that advertises the tournament. "We've had a phenomenal response."

Fueled by Internet gambling sites and the seemingly endless array of poker shows that have swarmed the television airwaves, poker is booming.

ESPN's coverage of the 2003 World Series of Poker, the Texas Holdem tournament held annually at Binion's Horseshoe Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, consistently garners strong ratings, averaging more than 1 million households per episode, according to Nielsen ratings reports. ESPN has expanded its coverage significantly for this year's world series, which the channel began airing earlier this month.

The Travel Channel features the "World Poker Tour," and Bravo offers "Celebrity Poker."

"No-limit Texas Holdem has become huge," said David Matters, an organizer of the Denver Poker Tour, which helps bars and restaurants plan and execute poker tournaments. "You sit around, meet some new people and have a good time."

In all, the Denver Poker Tour has set up 40 poker nights at 14 bars from Aurora to Littleton. Fagan's is staging its tournament independently.

The interest in poker, Matters said, spiked "about nine months ago and hasn't stopped since."

"It's really a simple game that anyone can learn. Yet we have some skilled players who can really push people around."

Texas Holdem, an offshoot of traditional poker, plays out like this: Each player receives two cards face-down; then five common cards that anyone can use are turned face-up; each player then makes his or her best five-card combination.

To increase the stakes, players can risk all their chips with the turn of every card, a move dubbed "all in."

The nine-week tournament at Fagan's began June 14 at its 1135 E. Evans Ave. location. And while for legal reasons an entrance fee doesn't exist, big-time prizes do.

A trip to Mexico, gift certificates to Denver-area stores and a fat bar credit await those skilled - and lucky - enough to wade through the hundreds of expected participants. The final table, slated for Aug. 16, will match the winners from the previous eight nights in a last-person-standing-style tournament.

Some, however, are not convinced poker's recent popularity signals a positive step for American culture.

"Americans have always been risk-takers, but what we are seeing now is an upswing of public approval for gambling," said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, a Washington, D.C.-based group. "I think as gambling becomes more and more normalized, it is becoming more and more mainstream."

Indeed, anyone and everyone, it seems, has decided to ante up.

An estimated 65 percent of U.S. adults have gambled at least once during the past year, and 85 percent have wagered at least once during their lifetime, according to statistics from the council.

"It's a hidden addiction with enormous social costs," Whyte said, citing a 1999 federal study that estimated the price tag at $5 billion annually to treat gambling addiction. "Your losses can ratchet up to extreme proportions."

Still, Whyte said, if "people of adult age want to gamble, it's fine by us. But as a health issue, it does have a downside."

Regardless of the moral implications, television and players are chipping in like never before.

This year's World Series of Poker on ESPN attracted 2,576 people and offered a record $5 million first prize.

Actors James Woods and Toby McGuire tested their poker acumen, as did a former beauty queen from Oklahoma.

Last year, 839 men and women competed for the $2.5 million first-place pot at the world series. The aptly named Chris Moneymaker, an amateur poker ace playing in his first- ever tournament, claimed top honors.

"The impact (Moneymaker) had was immense," said Steve McDonald, a world series organizer. "It gave everyone the mind-set, 'If he can win it, so can I."'

Moneymaker's accession to poker's pinnacle started like so many other stories: on the Internet

He won an online tournament, which ponied up the world series' $10,000 entrance fee. Moneymaker then surfed that momentum into poker history, taking a seat alongside Amarillo Slim, Johnny Chan and Doyle Bronzing.

"The Internet allows players that are not able to play - where land-based tournaments are not legal - to take part in a game at any time and with small buy-ins," McDonald said.

Without question, Moneymaker's Cinderella-like story transformed the poker world.

"Watching Moneymaker win made me want to go out, scratch up enough money and go play in the world series," said David Majzler, 20, of Boulder. "He was really lucky to win last year; he just caught a bunch of cards.

"But he had one of the biggest impacts on poker of anyone ever."

Majzler, a five-year poker veteran, won more than $5,000 in online tournaments during the past six months, and placed 11th nationally in the first-ever College Poker Championships. He won a $500 scholarship for his efforts in the student-only online tournament, which ended June 6.

"I think the best element of poker is how complex it is," Majzler said. "Even if you are a master, you can lose at any time. It's such a game of feel and luck."