A Short History of Poker Tournaments
Poker players today are more likely to view online poker in the context of tournaments than individual games. Our society propagates the view that poker tournaments are the way to fame and fortune because they have higher valued pots. This was not always the case. In fact, the poker tournament is a relatively recent invention. To know how our perceptions of poker have changed in the last couple of years, it is useful to review a short history of the poker tournament. The first poker tournament took place in 1970, when Benny Binion invited six well known poker players to compete for a grand prize at the Horseshoe Casino. Every year after that a few more players came to the game. This was the beginnings of the World Series of Poker, currently the biggest and most popular poker tournament. From the early beginnings with 6 players the tournament slowly gathered speed. In 182 it drew in 52 poker players, in 1987 it brought in 2100. More recent online poker tournaments have brought in numbers well above 8500 players. The poker tournament may be a recent invention, but it has become an undeniable staple of poker culture. The history just goes to show that new ideas can catch on quickly when poker is involved.
