Popularity of Texas Holdem

Texas Holdem is a game that has grown in popularity dramatically over the last decade. The popularity has grown due to its exposure on television, the internet, and popular literature that has been written about the game. Texas Holdem replaced seven-card stud as the most common game in the United States in casinos over the last ten years. Prior to poker becoming widely televised, the movie Rounders with Matt Damon and Edward Norton, gave a small taste of what it is like to use Texas Holdem as a way of life. Texas Holdem was also showcased in the 2006 James Bond movie Casino Royale, instead of baccarat, which was the game that was originally used in the book the movie was based on. In 2003, ESPN began covering the World Series of Poker and the growth of Texas Holdem poker surged. Part of this surge was due to Chris Moneymaker wining the tournament as an amateur player, which sparked interest in thousands of people to pick up the game and use it as a money making source. The growth of Texas Holdem can also be seen in the number of people who enter the World Series of Poker over the years. In 2003 there were 839 participants in the tournament. The following year the number of entrants tripled. Again in 2004, the winner was an amateur which further fueled the amateur players to continue to play, while drawing in even more people. By 2005, the tournament had 5,619 entrants and first prize of $7,500,00, an unprecedented number and payout.