The latest craze to sweep across America is playing No Limit Texas Holdem Poker. The frenzy is being fueled by TV shows such as ESPN's World Series of Poker, which showcases one of the oldest poker tournaments in America. It takes place each spring at the Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. For a $10,000 entry fee, anyone can enter and play for a chance to take home the $2 million cash grand prize. Or, for $125, you can try to win a spot in the tournament by entering a single table satellite consisting of ten players. All the players start out with the same amount of chips and a winner is decided when one player wins all the chips. There is a rumor that The World Series of Poker will be moved to the hipper Bellagio Casino and Hotel next year and the grand prize will be increased to an eye-popping $5 million!

Travel Channel's World Poker Tour is a tournament that takes place at a different casino each week. Anyone can enter these weekly tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. The winner takes home $1 million in cash and is invited back to play at the World Poker Tour Finals at the Bellagio where the grand prize will be in excess of $3 million cash. On average, about five hundred players enter each tournament and it takes three to four days to decide a winner. When play begins, all the contestants start with the same amount of chips. After several days of play, six players will make it to the Final Table where they will face off against each other on the Travel Channel. When one player has won all the chips, he or she will be declared the winner of the tournament.

The Bravo Network has created its own poker series called Celebrity Poker Challenge. It is a six part series which features celebrities playing against each other. Their winnings will be donated to a charity of their choice. The action takes place at one of Las Vegas' newer casinos, The Palms. In the first episode, the players were Ben Affleck, Don Cheadle, David Schwimmer, Emily Proctor, and Willie Garson. After an hour of playing No Limit Texas Holdem, Willie Garson defeated Ben Affleck to win the tournament. He will return to play against the winners from the other four episodes for a grand prize of $250,000 in cash. The next episode will feature the cast of the West Wing squaring off against each other.

On the afternoon of Super Bowl Sunday, there will be a nationally televised poker tournament on NBC. It seems that this once quiet backroom game is being thrown into the spotlight. Poker is unlike any of the other casino games because you are not playing against the house. You will be playing against eight other opponents. Poker is the only game where you can be dealt the worse possible hand and still win. Do you recognize any of these poker terms? Raise, call, fold, and check. What about these terms - bluff, flop, turn, river, going on tilt, all in, big blinds, small blinds, drawing dead, check raise? If you know what each one of these terms mean, then you are ready to head to a casino near you and get in on the action. But if you don't know what they mean and want to learn how to play poker, watching any one of these shows will help you understand how the game of poker is played. During the course of each show, a thorough tutorial of poker and poker terms will be given by one of the commentators. Another appealing aspect about these broadcasts is all the poker tables are equipped with special cameras to show the viewing audience the cards that each player is dealt. Seeing the cards will allow you to understand much more clearly how each player thinks. Poker is a cerebral game and being able to outthink your opponents is the key to winning.

There are several different poker games that are played in casinos but almost all major tournaments play No Limit Texas Holdem. Many consider no limit holdem to be the ultimate challenge in gambling simply because you can bet all of your chips on any given hand. You either double up or you are eliminated. Casinos also offer 5 card stud, 7 card stud, Texas Holdem, Omaha, and Omaha Hi Lo. No Limit Texas Holdem is only used for tournament play. By far the most popular is regular Texas Holdem. Betting limits starts with $2-$4 games going all the way up to $500-$1,000. My personal favorite limit to play is $3-$6, or loosely referred to as "three six." In regular holdem, each player is dealt two cards face down. These are called the hole cards. A round of betting commences during which time each player can either check (which means to pass), bet, raise (a raise at this point is called a pre-flop raise), call (meaning you will match someone's bet) or fold. When you fold you are out of the hand. Remember you can fold at any time. Sometimes folding can also be referred to "mucking your cards." Then three "community" cards are placed face up by the dealer in the middle of the table or "the board." These three cards are called the flop. Each player will use their two hole cards and the community cards on the table to make the best possible hand. After the flop another round of betting occurs. A fourth community card, called the "turn" card is then flipped over by the dealer. More betting occurs. Finally, a fifth community card, called "the river" will be turned over by the dealer. A final round of betting occurs. After all the betting is done the dealer will say "show time" and each remaining player turns over their hole cards. The player that makes the best hand using their two hole cards and the five community cards wins the pot, which means he or she wins all the money that was bet on that hand.

Try it yourself - get a deck of cards and pretend to deal a hand of poker to nine fictional players. It will help to actually "see" what I am referring to. Or sign up for a play money account at Pokerroom.com and see for yourself how poker is played without risking any of your hard earned money. Most players use it to sharpen their poker skills to be able to play like a pro at the casinos. There are also links to many poker articles written by some of the top players in the world, and a public forum where you can discuss strategy with other poker players. I have found that spending time playing for fun at Pokerroom.com has improved my poker skills tremendously. To find me at Pokerroom.com, click on search and type in MJ888 and it will tell you what table I playing at. If you do find me please identify yourself as a HKVP listener so I know who you are. Good Luck! Shuffle up and deal!