The Phenomenon that is the World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is undoubtedly one of the most popular shows on television. Every year millions of poker fans are glued to their seats as the WPT is televised live on TV sets all over the world. For many of them, the WPT is one of the reasons why they became rabid poker fans.
The World Poker Tour is held annually beginning with the preliminary tournaments in May and April in various locations around the world, ultimately ending in the final championship at Las Vegas Bellagio Hotel and Casino. The winners in these preliminary events earn the right to enter, for free, the final championship round or the World Poker Tour Championship. Players can also enter the final round outright by paying the entry fee of $25,000. They can also join any of the satellite tournaments in the weeks leading to the final round, with the winner getting a prepaid entry fee to the final championship event.
The final table of the WPT Championship is televised live from Las Vegas through the Travel Channel, and beamed all over the world. With a total prize of more than $12 million and the grand prize of $4million, there's plenty of reasons why the WPT is so popular and why millions of poker players have dreamed of making it to the championship round.
Another reason why the WPT is so popular, aside from the financial rewards, is the fact that watching poker being played on TV is also a great way to pick up a few tips and tactics used by the world's best poker players. Even complete beginners can learn the basic poker terms with the explanation of these terms flashed continuously on the TV screen. What's more, the "WPT Cam," a small ingenious camera, allows the viewers to see the hole cards, creating a new level of thrill and excitement to the game. Viewers can easily discern the various player strategies and techniques behind the bluffs and the high-stake bets.
The WPT has truly revolutionized the way people watch and play poker. As the WPT continues to grow in stature over the years, more and more people will be enticed to play poker for fun and money. If you are one of these people, it's better to start playing in small tournaments both in local card rooms and in online poker rooms. This way you can gain experience and skill needed to play competitive poker. As your skill and experience grows, you can move on to bigger tournaments with higher stakes and bigger pots. Who knows, you will someday become the next million-dollar winner of the World Poker Tour!
