Inspirational Viewing

Although not exactly right up there with the cult status of other gambling games such as mainstream poker, Texas holdem has not only become extremely popular in online casinos, but has also grown in structure and stature among the viewing public. The power of television has long been acknowledged by those in the know as one of the most powerful influences in our generation. A television commercial or interview is responsible for creating permanent impressions on the viewing public and these can be transformed into extraordinary buying decisions. If television decides that a product is not cool, it will remain ignored until television can decide that it is cool again. Fortunately for Texas holdem, the television pundits decided that it was a good product and the popularity of the game soared consequently.

Television and Gambling

There was a sentimental perspective on the role that was played in the popular movie called Rounders. It showed Texas holdem as part and parcel of rural Texan lives and those who hacked back to better days would have been pleased with the portrayals. Even the younger generations who would view sentimentality with a certain degree of trepidation, were won over. Texas holdem was portrayed as intrinsically American and of a premium status when compared to ordinary poker. This was a deliberate attempt to distinguish it and make it somewhat inspirational. In particular they were enamored by the no limit method of playing the game. The film borrowed from the World Series poker tournament that occurred at around the same time.

Texas holdem was then quiet for a bit until the year two thousand and six when the game appeared during the making of the James Bond classic that is Casino Royale. This was quite a leap from the rural Texan to the sophisticated British double agent. This was a subtle means of encapsulating yet another segment of the market that may have been left behind. The game is a wonderful addition to any repertoire and it does succeed in giving the impression of sophistication when placed in such a high profile movie that includes world famous stars.

The publicity campaign associated with Texas holdem is not a new phenomenon. In fact as far back as the early nineteen seventies, the game was being touted as the next big thing. The early efforts had mixed success but in the nineteen nineties, there was a television boom in the late night poker series. These programs were aired free of charge after the main television programs had expired. Poker legends such as Chris Moneymaker popularized and glamorized the game when they started winning tournaments to the extent that major sports networks such as ESPN have started to air the poker tournaments from time to time.

These days Texas holdem is the new main stream of poker but it is not so main stream that it loses some of the allure of its mystery. The clever marketing ploys that have always worked for television have also worked for this interesting version of poker. This means that it has been a beneficiary of the television age and in all likelihood it has also given to the television age.