Why Poker?

Like the origins of most casino games, the actual advent of poker will probably never be known. The first game version of poker is known, though, and is known as five card draw. This one game spawned variation after variation and, currently, there are hundreds of poker game variations around the world, like the current favorite of Texas Hold'em.

Empire Poker games have been grouped into four different categories for organizational purposes. The groupings are termed draw, stud, community, and miscellaneous card games. Hold'em games fall under the community card game category. Community card games are sometimes referred to as widow or shared card games, as well. The main feature of community card games, like (for example) Texas Hold'em, is the shared - community - cards used by all the players in the poker game. The main rule variations between the community card game involve the amount of individual cards a player receives and the different number of community cards. Community card games began gaining popularity in American, sometime during the early 20th century.

The most trendy Hold'em poker game is Texas Hold'em, by far. Texas Hold'em is currently the most popular of all the poker game variations around the world. The game has gained notoriety through celebrity tours, online tournaments and television shows.

The no-limit version of Texas Hold'em gained the attention of the public in England in 1999. The Late Night Poker TV program caught on in the United Kingdom and eventually made it's way to American audiences in 2003. Texas Hold'em can be played by up to 22 players at one time, although it is usually played by 2 to 10. Many credit its popularity to the game rules simplicity and the fast pace of the rounds. The game, fundamentally, consists of 4 betting rounds. First, each player receives two personal cards and then three community cards are placed in the center of the table. Two more cards are later placed onto the community board and each player chooses between the community and individual cards to form a 5 card hand.

Television shows, tournament and Internet poker rooms created the excitement about the game. ESPN actually covered the World Series of Poker as a spectator game and it was a huge hit. Special cameras allowed television audiences to see all of the players private cards and added commentators to increase audiences interest and it worked. Texas Hold'em poker quickly spread to different media and is the first official gambling card game to become a spectator sensation.

Texas Hold'em is the favorite choice of casino players in the United States. It is also the preferred game for players in online poker rooms, as well. Its popularity is continuously growing and many versions of other popular poker games have originated from its rules.