High Stakes Poker

High stakes poker has become one of the most popular of all the poker shows on TV. It is not uncommon to see pots in the high six figures on any given hand. The top professionals have played these types of games for far longer than poker has been "popular".

The old Texas road gamblers had to travel to their games, and were often faced with dangerous circumstances. Being robbed or arrested was not uncommon. Until the advent of Las Vegas and legal casinos this was the way the old school gamblers made their money. When the security of the Vegas strip arrived it was a whole new game.

Now these premium players can sit down with no fear of arrest. There have been reports of people being held up outside the casinos, but this is very rare. Many people can’t understand how these players can "gamble" hundreds of thousands of dollars on the turn of a card. The fact is that it is far less a gamble then it may look.

With years of experience and the ability to calculate odds on the spot, these pros know the chances of their hand bringing victory. This is not like playing a slot machine and hoping for the best. The players in these games make high pressure decisions using an amazing amount of intelligence.

In regards to the amounts they use to gamble, well it has to hurt a little if they lose. To some losing $100 would be a lot and make the game much more thrilling. It is the same concept in the "big game" just on another level. In order for them feel the game it has to have consequence to them. These players are in a class of their own and should be viewed as such.

Many argue that poker is not a sport. This may be true in the sense that you don’t need much athletic ability to play, but as far as mental focus this is a sport. When you take into consideration the very long sessions in tournaments (many can be over 12 hours) where you must make million dollar decisions, there are few games which require focus under more stressful situations.

From their poker chips tricks to their diverse personas, these pros will bring entertainment for a long time to come.