Mass Media

Poker

Poker has been on the craze for a few years now. Before ESPN aired the World Series Of Poker in recent years, people never have been so into poker as they are now in today's world. Many people that I know didn't have a clue what Texas Hold'em poker was before it was on television. Texas Hold'em is one of many types of poker that have been made popular today. It has gained the interest in all types of people in our society to try and master the game and become good at it. People watch the poker pros on television playing for millions of dollars and become influenced by them and the coverage television has put on the game.

There are many types of poker including 5-card draw, 7-card stud, Omaha, and the most popular of them all today Texas Hold'em. The rush of the poker scene going on in America has impacted people everywhere including myself and many of my friend's. I never was very into poker until a few years ago when friends of mine started having poker nights at their houses. The more I played, the more I wanted to learn about the game itself. It is very easy to grasp the concepts of the game after a few times playing, however, it takes months, even years for someone to fully understand and imply all knowledge while playing the game.

You don't learn good bluffing overnight nor do you learn how figure out what someone else is holding in their hand right away either. There is more to poker then the cards that you hold in your hand. Psychology plays a big part into figuring out what

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another player's hand is. With poker pros and people who fully understand the concepts of the game write books about all aspects of game, get many people such as myself buying there books to improve there game. With the selling of all types of poker clothing, chips, table tops, cards, hats, video games, etc. You can't walk through a department store without seeing some type of poker reference.

Poker night is no longer a gathering of just middle-aged men looking to play cards and have a few drinks. Rather it has become a game that all ages and sexes gather to play. The influence and impact has been huge to society that poker has had within the past few years. It has grown and continues to grow with the many new poker shows being put on tv, many online poker sites people are joining, and the expansion and building of many new poker rooms down at the casinos in Atlantic City because of the overwhelming demand to play.

The Internet.

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