It is certain that poker is one of the most popular choices for casino players around the world, and indeed it has become one of those games which is not only celebrated around the world but has also become very serious with a lot of different leagues and tournaments which carry huge cash prizes. Those who choose to become professional players can make millions of dollars from their tournament appearances alone, not to mention the cash games that they play on a regular basis in major gambling cities or even just over the internet under a recognisable screen name.
There are many different forms of poker to choose from, though apart from the various video poker variants the most common and popular has to be Texas hold ‘em. This is also one of the most straightforward versions of the game, in which you must make a five card hand using two that are dealt to you and then a selection of three out of five of the cards which are laid in the middle of the table. This is also the most common choice for main events at tournaments, the games which carry the highest prizes, so it is always a great game to know how to play in those situations. There are plenty of other variations which are also popular that you could try out: Omaha is perhaps second to Texas in how widespread it is, and there are also versions like Caribbean stud or draw, seven card stud, razz, and so forth.
As for the major tournaments that you can enter, most countries where gambling is popular will have their own Poker Open in order to select the best players in the country each year, and there are also major circuits which include a lot of smaller tournaments building up to one huge main event each year such as the World Series of Poker or the World Poker Tour, where the prizes that you can win are huge but the fame and recognition that you get from within the poker world for taking a victory are worth even more. You will find that there are some players which are very well regarded across the whole of the industry and who everyone will know about – people who have taken a lot of wins and perhaps even hold records for their successes, such as Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, and so on and so forth.
You can follow the career of your favourite professional poker player with interest and play as a hobby, or you can try to become one yourself and really go for it in tournaments and competitions on any scale from local to worldwide. These days you can enter tournaments online and end up winning seats in land based tournaments for free, so there are lots of ways to get in on the action – and of course you will not want to miss out on the Aussie Millions which takes place every year here for the serious players.