World Poker Tour

The World Poker Tour might very well be one of the most famous contests in the world. It is adored, feared and more than anything: watched by hundred thousands of people. Since poker became popular back in the 15^th century, it is now the most international game there is, and the WPT is a token for it.

It all started in 1999. The television program “Late night poker” started a system that filmed poker players and let the audience see their cards, without risking the other players to see them. This became wildly popular in the UK, where the show was aired, and soon all big poker players stood in line to show their skills. The cameras were located under the table, but since the table was made out of glass, the audiences could see everything going on. This would become something of a revolution within poker, since it suddenly had become possible for the ordinary TV watcher to have more information than even the most skilled opponent at the table. Of course, when something big like this happens in the media world, many other channels are quick to catch on. This was also the case when it came to “Late night poker”. The technology that was used to film the players cards was adapted by other TV shows, and even casino rooms. And so came the day that the World Poker Tour decided do have a small miniature camera built into the poker table. The poker rules were the same, and the players the same, but the way of watching it had changed drastically.

This was during the time when online poker became increasingly popular and the skilled online poker players made a lot of money on rakeback. It is very likely that there is a strong relation between the online gambling and the TV aired poker playing. The popularity rate hit the roof in both cases.

On TV, the viewers were able to get technique tips just by watching the masters (as well as the amateurs!) strategies. One day, the company that aired WPT decided to place the section where Texas Hold’em was played at a number of casinos throughout the world. This immediately made WPT even more global and internationally known. Each year, new casinos attracted visitors from having tournaments. At this time, the stakes also got higher. Since the tournament was so popular, more people wanted to join, which made the top ten even better than they used to be. Alas, more money in the pot.

But the best thing about the WPT, according to many people, is that it has a democratic touch to it: Anyone can join.

But only one can win.

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