Poker has always been a popular game throughout the world and particularly in the United States. It has become a popular game to watch on TV and played in live and online casinos. Tournament Texas Holdem draws a large viewing audience and players in both online and in live casinos. This version of poker has become the most popular with the players. The tournament play has grown astronomically as the prize money has increased.

Home games are played every week around the country and live casinos have daily and weekly tournaments. Online casinos offer a tournament every hour or sooner. Very large prize money for winning some of these online tournaments now exceeds $100,000. The WSOP paid over 12 million just a year or so ago.

The skill needed to become a good player is predicated on two elements, the experience level and the willingness to read and learn. Watching the best on TV helps to learn tournament play faster. Aggressive players seem to do well in No Limit Holdem tournaments.

Poker comes in many versions that are played worldwide. Texas Holdem is without a doubt the most popular version currently. Omaha and Omaha Hi Low are the next most popular. The limit or no limit versions of these games determine the number of players willing to play. Lo Ball and stud were once very popular, but now seem to have lost their luster.

All of these games take play to learn well. Reading about them is a start, but playing time is the element that separates many players. The Internet play has helped young players learn very quickly and this accounts for why so many young people are doing well in the no limit tournaments. The online casinos deal thousands of hands a day and the result of this is the Internet players have gained from seeing so many hands. It does not take ten years to learn how to play well any more.

For those that want to sharpen their skills, there are many sites where a player can play for free with play money. There are sites that offer tournaments that offer real prize money and have no entry fee. Any one with a computer and Internet access can put in playing time to learn the game. A player does not have to wait for the next Saturday night game to try a new strategy of play. The games are always available on the Net.