Sports Then and Now

With every legendary poker match comes a legendary poker player. Not only do these players use mind-blowing strategies, but they become the winners of huge amounts of money. You might find that watching these players help you improve your game and play the best you ever have. Keep reading to see 5 of the best players in the history of poker.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is one of the best professional poker players out there. In addition to winning 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, he has also won 1 World Poker Tour championship and has been a player at 9 World Poker Tour final tables. At one time, he was considered the best player worldwide. With all of his wins, he has a net worth around $100 million, which is one of the highest net worths for worldwide poker players.

Paul Phua

Wei Seng “Paul” Phua is a Malaysion Chinese businesman who is also a professional poker player. While he plays poker frequently, he is also considered one of the world’s biggest bookies. He regularly hosts high stakes poker games in Macau and is a true legend of the poker world. While he doesn’t have any World Series of Poker bracelets, he has won quite a few other big championships. Today his net worth sits around $400 million. Check a rare interview with Phil and Paul as they discuss their long careers here.

Doyle Brunson

Now retired, Doyle Brunson was a professional poker player for over 50 years. He has won the World Series of Poker main event twice and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. He has also written many poker books that have helped many players create their own strategy. By the time he retired, he had a total of 10 World Series of Poker bracelets and now has a net worth of around $75 million.

Various ongoing debates are trying to determine whether poker is a sports game or just a kind of gambling. According to the arguments from many poker enthusiasts, they argue that poker is a sports game since it has several sports characteristics. In this article, we shall discuss some of the aspects of both sport and gambling to allow us to make a satisfactory conclusion if the poker is a sports game or not. The only way to help us make a reasonable conclusion is through going by logic and not sentiment. Below are some of the essential things to help you determine if poker is a sports game. They include;

How can we define sports?

From our research, we can define sport as any activity that involves two competing parties and requires some skills to play and win. Therefore, from that definition, we can point out that sport requires two competing teams, needs some rules to play the game, and requires skills.

• Gambling definition

Gambling is a game of chance played for money. That means the involved parties stake money intending to get profit. Since some people gamble for fun, we cannot say that poker is an entirely gambling game. That is because many plays for fun and take time to get playing skills. Therefore, it would be appropriate to classify poker as a kind of gambling.

According to the two definitions stated earlier, poker games have more features of sports than gambling. Thus, before we conclude, it would be better to discuss sports games’ characteristics vs. gambling. Without further ado, let begin our discussion

Characteristics of sports games

Various features can help us to classify a particular game, whether it is a sports game or not. Below are some of the characteristics of sports. They include;

Many people with lots of time and money to spare prefer to take their chances in casinos, and why not? Casinos are no longer just for bachelor parties and nights out with friends. Nowadays you can find a local casino just about anywhere.

The proliferation of casinos has made going to them a common hobby. Avid gamblers go to casinos on a regular basis, with some even making it part of their everyday routine. Believe it or not, some people even work by pursuing a career in professional gambling.

The development of the casino industry and its steady increase in popularity has made its adoption and utilization of technology inevitable. Today, you no longer need to take a drive to your local casino to hit the tables. You can do it all from the comfort of your own home just by using your laptop or your phone.

Many people play poker for various reasons. It could be for money-making purposes, skills, or to become a pro in the game. But the main thing is that poker increases social interaction and bonding as you gather to play cards around the table with your friends. However, playing it is not just about drinking beer around the table with your friends as you show your skills. This game brings lots of psychological benefits that improve your sleep, health, and moods. So, whether you are playing it online or at a local casino, here are the health benefits you will receive. 

Active mind

Playing poker requires skills hence those engaging in it, must practice and play frequently. It means you must focus and challenge your mental capability in handling all the steps of becoming a poker pro, including new game levels. Since it is a game that involves numbers, your mental arithmetic will increase. Also, teaching others the nooks and corners of the game will enhance your concentration and patience levels. You will be able to teach them the long-term goals of succeeding in the game.  

With travel restrictions impacting people all over the world due to the COVID-19 virus, many are looking for ways to pass the time. One fun way is to play casino games such as video poker, online slots and other types of online games. The cool thing about playing online is that there are sites available that you can play just for fun and others that you can play to win real money.

Poker is always a popular game and you can play video poker at New Zealand Casinos without actually being in New Zealand.

While there are many variations of video Poker, they have one thing in common: they’re all based on simple mechanics of five-card draw Poker. Video Poker uses a standard 52-card deck. After you make your wager and press the “Deal” button, the machine randomly gives you five cards. At this point, you need to choose which cards to keep and which cards to throw away or discard. Once you have made your pick, the computer will randomly replace the discarded cards.

If people hadn’t heard much of poker until 2000 in India, things have changed drastically for aspiring players since Chris Money Maker swooped into the Main Event by qualifying its satellites online and stunned the world by claiming the Main Event bracelet. If an accountant can qualify online and bag the world’s biggest poker money tournament, a lot could happen for the budding poker community in India.

Since then, India responded to this gigantic change of events and introduced online poker in the Indian internet of things. While Indian Rummy and Teen Patti already enjoy a variegated audience from across the lengths and breadths of India; off late, real poker money tournaments have begun to captivate card gamers in huge numbers. 

As grand and lucrative these poker money tournaments are, there is plenty of ground that players need to cover before diving into the glorious realm of money tournaments of poker.