Have you gotten in the game yet? These
days the game is poker. Tournament action
on cable TV has captured the public’s
imagination in a way nobody could have
predicted a few short years ago.
.
My guess is there has always been a bit of
poker player in a majority of Americans,
but it took television to shuffle up our
psyches and deal us back in the game. How
else can you explain poker’s phenomenal
popularity among cable TV viewers?
According to the Nielsen ratings, last
year’s World Series of Poker averaged
1,248,000 viewers for ESPN2 during an
eight-week run. The World Poker Tour was
the Travel Channel’s most popular series
ever. Similar success stories were
generated by Bravo’s Celebrity Poker
Showdown, ESPN’s U.S. Poker Championship
and Fox Sports’ Late Night Poker and Poker
at the Sands. Even NBC got into the act by
televising a poker match on Super Bowl
Sunday.
Industry analysts estimate the number of
people who play recreationally or
professionally has leaped from 50 million
five years ago to over 100 million today,
a large number of them college students
and people under the age of 30. Specialty
shops that sell poker supplies are
reporting land office business.
Here’s a rundown of the most popular poker
room games and a brief explanation of the
rules:
Texas Holdem: This game is the rage among
poker players nationwide in casino poker
rooms, college dorms, and kitchen tables.
Each player at the table is dealt two
cards face down (pocket cards), followed
by the first round of betting. The dealer
then turns over three community cards (the
flop) followed by the second round of
betting. The dealer then turns over a
fourth community card (the turn) followed
by the third round of betting. The dealer
then turns over a fifth community card
(the river) followed by the final round of
betting and the showdown. Players make
their best five-card hands using their
pocket cards and three community cards,
one pocket card and four community cards,
or all five community cards.
Seven Card Stud: Each player at the table
is dealt two cards face down (hole cards)
and one card face-up (door card), followed
by the first round of betting. Each player
is then dealt a fourth card face-up (4th
Street) followed by the second round of
betting. Each player is then dealt a fifth
card face-up (5th Street) followed by the
third round of betting. Each player is
then dealt a sixth card (6th Street)
followed by the fourth round of betting.
Each player is then dealt a seventh and
final card face-up (the river) followed by
the final round of betting and the
showdown. Players use any five of their
seven cards to make their best hand.
Omaha: Each player at the table is dealt
four cards face down (pocket cards),
followed by the first round of betting.
The dealer then turns over three community
cards (the flop) followed by the second
round of betting. The dealer then turns
over a fourth community card (the turn)
followed by the third round of betting.
The dealer then turns over a fifth
community card (the river) followed by the
final round of betting and showdown.
Players must use two of their pocket cards
and three community cards to make their
best hand.
