People
might not consider poker a sport. If you don't, then you
might not want to watch ESPN anytime soon.
The
cable network carries more poker programming than anyone
else, including the travel channel with its highly
successful "World Poker Tour" series.
You
can't watch ESPN for more than 20 minutes without seeing
at least one ad for the World Series of Poker, which it
runs for three and four hours at a time. Virtually every
day.
Whether poker can be considered a sport is arguable. But
no one can deny the popularity of poker with mainstream
America.
Hundreds of thousands of players either partake their
favorite sport in games all over the country, or play
against other players online on dozens of poker sites.
How
popular? Here are a few examples:
In
a story on the National Post in Canada, a group calling
itself Poker in Athens is campaigning to add poker as an
Olympic sport for the 2004 Summer Games.
The
group's Web site, www.pokerinathens.org, says it is
"passionately dedicated to bringing poker to the 2004
Games." For them, poker deserves respect given to games
like chess and bridge.
In
a story in the TwinCities Pioneer Press, a Minnesota
lawmaker wants to make poker tournaments legal in his
state, like pool or golf tournaments.
The
announcement by state senator Dave Klies, R-St. Cloud,
came after local police raided a bowling alley that had
been holding Texas HoldEm tournaments on Monday nights
for eight months.
In
Mansfield, Jeff Smith won $40,000 in a three-day holdem
tournament Las Vegas night in the Mansfield Knights of
Columbus Hall.
"I
really don't know what I am going to do with the money
but I do know the weekend has been very exciting," Smith
said.
In
that tournament alone, more than 2,000 players entered,
more than $73,000 was paid out to the players, and the
hall raised $16,000 for the Butler Adult Center. Robert
Slayton of Bucyrus finished sixth and pocketed $3,000.
"I'm
sure the popularity of the televised matches had a lot
to do with the huge turnout we had this weekend,"
tournament organizer Mike Meeker said.
Tournament poker does not come without its dangers.
According to Crawford County assistant prosecutor Cliff
Murphy, tournament poker, as with most gambling, is
illegal in Ohio. But he said there are some caveats.
"There are always exceptions to the law," Murphy said.
"It really depends on the situation. If there is no
money changing hands or if the Texas Holdem tournament
is for charity, for example. But in Ohio, gambling is
illegal."
