Why Is The World Series Of Poker So Popular?

Every year in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada the WSOP is held and is currently the world’s most popular poker event. However, the initial tournament in 1970 involved only seven participants and it was not until the early 1980s, when the World Series Of Poker introduced satellite tournaments, that the event attracted greater than 50 players. In the 80s the entrants had surpassed 2,000.

In the 1970s the first broadcasts of the World Series of Poker were aired. These were produced and broadcasted as documentaries as opposed to a sporting event being narrated by Jimmy Snyder. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, CBS continued to provide some footage of the event, which included time delayed broadcast of the final table some years.

In the late 1980s, ESPN took over duties from CBS and began providing fans with extensive coverage of the event, albeit primitive compared to modern accessibility. From the year 2000 to 2001 The Discovery Channel and Travel Channel showcased the main event of the WSOP. This was short-lived as the sports broadcaster giant ESPN then took over the spotlight.

The power of computers and the World Wide Web was redefining the poker world. The game was more accessible to the masses than it had ever been. With the emergence of online poker rooms anyone living in any country on the globe could take part in the action 24 hours a day. This has led to a desire for the game that many believe has now plateued but nonetheless continues to live on.

As this phenomenon began its ascent, interest in The World Series of Poker,  highest profile Texas Hold Em Poker game, ascended with it. ESPN was ready every step of the way to increase coverage to meet demand and even orchestrated a delayed final table in 2008 in order to maximize ratings. Unfortunately, due to the need to keep players’ hole cards a secret throughout the tournament, the winner of the tournament is often known before the event is aired on tv. It was in the year of 2006 that the number of entrants reached an outstanding 8,773.

Many people only took notice of this major poker tournament from the early 2000s, but the WSOP actually has an elaborate history. Tons of attention is place on those amateur players, many who have won cheap World Series of Poker Satellites, that make it to the final table and win the coveted braclet. However, the first non-pro to win was Hal Fowler and he did it back in 1979. Some WSOP historians assert that Benny Binnion, the father of the WSOP, had to lend him the money for the entry fee.

Sister of professional poker player Howard Ledrer, Annie Duke, made history in 2000 when she just missed making it to the final table of the main event. Therefore, in 2006, when Annie Duke got as far as the final 88, ESPN celebrated her success. One of the announcers even commented that Duke might be the first woman to reach the final table. However, the truth is that Barbara Enright had already become a legend, earning that distinction in 1995.

Likewise, fans often believe that famous World Series of Poker participant Johnny Chan is the only player to reach the final two, three years in a row. But the first player to ever win consecutive WSOP main events was Puggy Pearson, winning in ‘71, ‘72 and ‘73. When he finally won the event in 1973, he also became the first non-Texan to accomplish the feat.

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