The game –Poker

A significant member of the family of the card games, poker is perpetually played for gambling purposes either on for money or for chips brought from game’s banker. The game which gained popularity first in North America is played and across the world and is internationally renowned social pastime.

The game is usually played with a standard deck of 52 cards with each individual handling five cards each. Each hand usually plays with five cards and tries to make sequence and combination of two or more kinds of same kind or a sequence of five cards of the same suit. The two most popular forms of poker are draw poker and stud poker, played with deck of 52 cards often with a joker included.

Though poker is a widely popular game throughout the world but is particularly a craze in America and Europe.

Poker in Europe

From past one decade the game witnessed a major popularity scenario, which till dates shows no stopping. Though the game has been played in Europe for quiet long, but that period was more like a desert for Poker with few oases like “the Vic” in London, “the Rainbow in Birmingham”, and “the jackpot in Dublin” with few more here and there. But the last decade has seen a tremendous rise in the growth of poker venues with almost more than 150 poker rooms in casinos and dozen of private club sprouting up in various European countries. The game is played in different style in different countries and the style of game on offer, stakes, clients and the fan following varies from country to country. The style of game reflects the culture as well as the character of the country.

For example in France, the country notably popular for its cuisines, when the dinner gong rings, no matter what kind of amount is at stake in the poker game going on in the poker room, the game will come to a stand still for the supper, to be continued only after dinner hour is over. Be it celebrities, wealthy businessman, actors, producers or whoever, they all have set priorities for food, however serious they might be for the game.

The Australian capital can boast of being the poker capital of Europe with two of the major 24*7 card rooms, the Concord Card Casino, and Poker world along with the Casino Austria.

The situation in Vienna is quiet opposite to the French culture. In French, if the game closes for supper, it’s vice a versa in Vienna. The dinner comes to the players who are too engrossed in the game out to get out of their chairs and move to food table. Concord in Vienna is closest to the American experience of Poker. All though bit smaller as comparison to the American poker rooms, the venue is modeled similar to the California card rooms.

Poker in UK
It is hottest poker hub with the best value tournaments in whole of the European continent is- UK. Following the trend of 1968, archaic game laws, casinos are not allowed to charge anything from players to take part in the game which implies all buy-in-money being paid out as taxes. The wide media publicity adding to the charm of the late night TV show on poker “Late-night-poker” has resulted in a rush of poker lovers and players turning on to casinos to learn the tricks and trades of the game. The only downside attached to the rising charm and love for this game is that sometimes the casinos are too crowded with the poker lovers to be handled by the casinos authority.

Recent analysis and surveys statistics in the country proves the increasing popularity of the game in the continent. From the period of 1998 to 2003, the number of poker tournaments has increased from 19 to 43.

Online poker rooms:
• www.gamble.co.uk- the site in collaboration with Victor Chandler Worldwide bring a true British style online poker room with features and excitement incomparable to any other online internet experience.

• www.ultimatebet.com- The site offers limit, no-limit, real money stakes along with online gambling lessons to assist you. Moreover the download is free and easy to access.

• www.truepoker.com- An ecstatic and enchanting 3D experience with animated 3D voices, avatars, sound effects and motion. The site has teamed up with few of the world leading authorities on the game to provide an intelligent, virtual yet real time experience.

• www.pokerraces.com – Challenge your game skills at this site especially tailored to horn and test your game playing skills. Learn while you play and compete with other game lovers and enjoy a never to forget enchanting experience.