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Retailers
wager on poker's new
found glory
October 20
Even while you read this,
retailers from all over the
United States are preparing
to combat America's new the
obsession with poker
by making sure their shelves
are fully stocked with
everything from playing
cards to betting chips. With
poker's popularity
sky-rocketing because of TV
tournaments and the ongoing
Internet gaming craze,
anything 'poker' will be
among the must-have items
during the holiday shopping
season.
Stores
are merchandising vast
displays of card room
quality chips and poker card
tables, 'how to' books, and
playing cards.
Retail
spokespeople say that anyone
from 10 to 90 years old
loves this game right now.
Karen
Burk,
Wal-Mart
spokeswoman, thinks the
heightening new interest in
poker could make a deck of
cards the must-have stocking
stuffer this year.
First
observed back in the 1800's,
poker is now witnessing
another massive wave of
popularity due mostly to the
fact that any night of the
week you can watch a
tournament on cable TV, or
even log-on to your computer
and play.
Must-see shows on TV are
Bravo's Celebrity Poker
Showdown, ESPN's
World Series of Poker,
and The Travel Channel's
World Poker Tour.
Until just last year,
networks weren't even
vaguely interested in
running these types of
shows.
People playing the game
of poker range anywhere from
teenagers and retired
people, to professionals
playing in high-stakes
tournaments. Currently, it
is estimated that somewhere
between 50-6 million people
are playing poker at least
once a month.
Some organizations are
even hosting regular weekly
tournaments that attract up
to 70-80 players with the
winning proceeds going to
various charities.
Bottom line, do not be
surprised when many of your
friends and relatives ask
for poker related items on
their Christmas lists this
year. Retailers from Sears
to Crate and Barrel are
prepared. You will also be
likely to find a table full
of books relating to any
type of gambling located up
front or just inside your
favorite bookstore's doors.
Many of the spokespeople
for the country's biggest
retail stores admit that
they think poker's new found
glory comes from 'celebrity'
and TV. People love to copy
what they see on TV, when a
celebrity is doing it, you
have a goldmine.
If you are interested in
learning how to play poker -
or even if you are already a
buff, be sure to check out
our comprehensive
Online Gambling Tips
section right here at
GamblingPhD.com
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