Role of Poker Fraternities in Establishing Poker

Poker, a popular card game, was initially curbed to few groups of people. For instance, in India, only 10% of the country’s population is familiar with the game. Also, initially, people had very limited opportunities of playing poker as there was just handful of gaming platforms that used to operate.

But in the past few years, there has been a significant increase in number of poker players across the globe. There are many factors which have contributed to the establishment & popularity of poker game. Apart from the online availability of the game, many poker fraternities like WSOP, WPT, APT, EPT etc. have played a vital role in establishment of poker.

Let us have a brief overview over their contribution-

WSOP – The credit for substantial contribution in promoting poker goes to WSOP. It was founded in 1970. Though its circuit events were organized in several locations but many people had to travel to Las Vegas if they wanted to compete in the main events. However, satellite tournaments were also introduced in the early 80s, which allow people to win their way into various game events.

Soon after this, video games, based on the tournament, were released. Moreover, in 2007, the foundation of the WSOP Academy, turned out to be a milestone in establishment of poker game. Later, WSOP came out with its agreement with poker communities like Dragonfish to provide its online gaming services. Today, anyone can participate in WSOP events by playing satellite tournaments or directly by paying the buy-ins of tournaments.

WPT – The World Poker Tour (WPT) is a series of poker tournaments which was started in United States. PartyGaming plc (party poker), who acquired WPT Enterprise, have contributed a lot in the boom of poker game in American homes, as well as outside US.

The best part of WPT is that anyone who can afford the “buy-in” amount ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 or win “satellite tournament” is able to compete against the top professional players. In 2004, WPT announced a Walk of Fame, to promote & honor poker & poker players.

In 2008, the WPT launched Club WPT which was a subscription-based club where members can pay a monthly fee to play in tournaments & win upto $100,000 & more. Soon after this, WPT announced a set of tournaments for women, known as WPT Ladies. Beside this, it also determines a Player of the Year to recognize & honor passionate poker players.

EPT – European Poker Tour (EPT) is a series of poker tournaments which was started in 2004 as a part of worldwide promotion of Texas Holdem. The EPT is sponsored and partly owned by Poker Stars.

EPT came as a great platform for those who can’t afford high stake tables or buy-ins as EPT features buy-ins about half the size of the WPT amount. As per the latest buzz, buy-in for most EPT events is €8,000 approx. Moreover, the final table has been modified to accommodate 8 players.

APT – Asian Poker Tour (APT) is a major poker tour which focuses on the Asia-Pacific region. Its aim is to promote & establish poker, especially in Asian countries. APT holds main events as well as assists various small scales, accredited events throughout the Asian region. In short, it is the biggest and original poker tour in Asia.

The first ever APT event was held in Singapore in November 2006. In 2008, APT was acquired by Asian Logic. It strives for positioning itself as the premier poker tournament in Asia. Soon, APT will be holding big events at Asia’s most popular poker destinations, including Macau, Philippines etc. With its goal of establishing poker game, APT will keep promoting the game among all poker players and enthusiasts across the globe.

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