A few years ago, casinos across the United States were closing poker rooms to make room for more popular and profitable slot machines.

 

However, the unlikely victory of a 27-year-old accountant from Tennessee over the world's greatest professional players on national television in 2003 sent the U.S. into a poker craze.

 

Anyone who watches ESPN probably already knows the story. A man named Chris Moneymaker wins a $40 Texas HoldM poker competition on the Internet, qualifies for a World Series poker tournament in Las Vegas, and wins $2.5 million over a stellar cast of characters.

 

"When the world poker tour was on television and used technology to show hole cards, it sparked a huge interest in poker," said Gary Thompson, a spokesman for Las Vegas Harrer Entertainment. "Americans are very competitive people. You can't compete against Tiger Woods on a golf course or against a heavyweight boxer in the ring, but you can compete at the poker table and defeat the world champion."

 

The game's soaring popularity has led to Harrer's acquisition of the Vineans Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas earlier this year, which gives him rights to the World Series poker game. Thompson said Harrer, who owns 28 casinos across the country, recently opened poker rooms in three Midwestern casinos. He plans to add four more to the other casinos.

 

Harrah's took advantage of Moneymaker's star status by giving poker players across the country a chance to compete against world champions. Moneymaker will take place at the Kansas City Casino on Aug. 22, and recently played at a similar event at Harrah's in St. Louis.

 

Harrer's Kansas City Casino opened its poker room on July 15, two weeks after Caprice opened its own in Kansas City. Both casinos had poker rooms when they opened 10 years ago, but Harrer closed the live poker table in June 1998, and Caprice closed its poker room in 2000.

 

"The popularity of what we have now has grown based on what people see on television," said Tracy Owens, a spokeswoman for Amerista Casino, which runs casinos in Kansas City.

 

"In Kansas City, poker rooms are full on weekends, with 100 to 150 people playing games, and on a typical weekday night, more than 80 to 100 people gather."

 

There are signs that poker may have lasting power.  에볼루션 바카라사이트