Editing Texas hold 'em (section)

== Popularity ==
Texas hold 'em is currently the most popular form of poker.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/games/texas-holdem/ |title=PokerStars.com: Texas Holdem Poker |access-date=January 4, 2008 |archive-date=March 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301075600/https://www.pokerstars.com/poker/games/texas-holdem/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.pokerpages.com/about-texasholdem.htm PokerPages.com: The History of Texas Hold'em]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021031448/http://www.pokerpages.com/about-texasholdem.htm |date=October 21, 2008 }}</ref>  Texas hold 'em's popularity surged in the 2000s due to exposure on television, the Internet and popular literature. During this time hold 'em replaced [[seven-card stud]] as the most common game in U.S. casinos.<ref name="15stud">{{cite web |url=http://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/issue21/clark0906.html |title=The Dying Days of Las Vegas 1–5 Stud  | access-date=October 4, 2006 |last=Clark |first=Bryan |date=September 2006 |work=Two Plus Two Internet Magazine |publisher=Two Plus Two Publishing  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061123021244/http://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/issue21/clark0906.html  | archive-date = November 23, 2006}}</ref> The [[Betting (poker)#No limit|no-limit betting]] form is used in the widely televised main event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the [[World Poker Tour]] (WPT). <!-- Commented out until a consensus version is developed: Although hold 'em is commonly played outside of the United States; in many countries [[Omaha Hold 'em|Omaha]] or seven-card stud are more popular. -->

Hold 'em's simplicity and popularity have inspired a wide variety of strategy books that provide recommendations for proper play. Most of these books recommend a strategy that involves playing relatively few hands but betting and raising often with the hands one plays.<ref name="HoHv1">{{cite book |title=Harrington on Hold'em: Expert Strategy For No-Limit Tournaments; Volume I: Strategic Play |author=[[Dan Harrington|Harrington, Dan]] and [[Bill Robertie]] |year=2004 |publisher=Two Plus Two Publications |isbn=978-1-880685-33-4}}</ref>
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Texas hold 'em experienced a surge in popularity worldwide.<ref name="15stud" />  Many observers attribute this growth to the synergy of five factors: the invention of [[online poker]], the game's appearance in film and on television, invention and usage of the "[[Hole cam|hole card cam]]" (which allowed viewers to see hole cards played in the hand as a means of determining strategy and decision-making during gameplay), the appearance of television commercials advertising online cardrooms, and the [[2003 World Series of Poker]] championship victory by online qualifier [[Chris Moneymaker]].<ref name="Chechitelli">{{cite web |url=http://www.allinmag.com/article.php?article=899 |title=World Series of Poker, A Young Man's Affair? |access-date=June 25, 2007 |last=Chechitelli |first=John |work=All In Magazine |publisher=All In |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805060108/http://allinmag.com/article.php?article=899 |archive-date=August 5, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> <!-- Commented out, doesn't flow well.: Mason Malmuth, a poker publisher, predicts that although the boom has reached its peak in the United States, interest in Europe is continuing to rise.<ref name="Malmuthboom">{{cite web |last=Malmuth |first=Mason |title=Publisher's Note |url=http://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/current/ |publisher=Two Plus Two Internet Magazine |month=October |year=2006 |dateformat=mdy | access-date=October 27, 2006}}</ref> -->

=== Television and film ===
{{Main|Poker on television}}
Prior to poker becoming widely televised, the movie ''[[Rounders (1998 film)|Rounders]]'' (1998), starring [[Matt Damon]] and [[Edward Norton]], gave moviegoers a romantic view of the game as a way of life despite the poker portrayed being often criticized by more serious players.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} Texas hold 'em was the main game played during the movie and the no-limit variety was described, following Doyle Brunson, as the "Cadillac of Poker". A clip of the classic showdown between [[Johnny Chan (poker player)|Johnny Chan]] and [[Erik Seidel]] from the [[1988 World Series of Poker]] was also incorporated into the film.<ref name="imbdrounders">{{cite web |title=Rounders (1998) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128442/ |publisher=IMDb |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-date=November 9, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109173200/http://imdb.com/title/tt0128442/ |url-status=live }}</ref> More recently, a high-stakes Texas hold 'em game was central to the plot of the 2006 [[James Bond]] film [[Casino Royale (2006 film)|''Casino Royale'']], in place of [[Baccarat (card game)|baccarat]], the casino game central to the [[Casino Royale (novel)|novel of the same name]] on which the film was based. In 2008, an acclaimed short film called ''[[Shark Out of Water]]'' was released on DVD. This film is unique in that it deals with the darker, more addictive elements of the game, and features [[Phil Hellmuth]] and [[Brad Booth]].

Hold 'em tournaments had been televised since the late 1970s, but they did not become popular until 1999, when hidden [[Hole cam|lipstick cameras]] were first used to show players' private hole cards on the ''[[Late Night Poker]]'' TV show in the United Kingdom.<ref name="lnpoker">{{cite web |title=Late Night Poker: About the Show |url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/P/poker/about_the_show.html |publisher=Channel 4 |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-date=May 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527132711/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/P/poker/about_the_show.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Hold 'em exploded in popularity as a spectator sport in the United States and Canada in early 2003, when the World Poker Tour adopted the lipstick cameras idea. A few months later, [[ESPN]]'s coverage of the 2003 World Series of Poker featured the unexpected victory of Internet player [[Chris Moneymaker]], an amateur player who gained admission to the tournament by winning a series of online tournaments. Moneymaker's victory initiated a sudden surge of interest in the series (along with internet poker), based on the [[Egalitarianism|egalitarian]] idea that anyone—even a rank novice—could become a world champion.<ref name="Moneymaker">{{cite journal |last=Krieger |first=Lou |date=July 30, 2004 |title=How Big Can the World Series of Poker Become? |journal=Card Player Magazine |volume=17 |issue=16 |pages=36–38}}</ref>

In 2003, there were 839 entrants in the WSOP main event,<ref name="WSOP2003">{{cite web |title=$10,000 World Championship Event |url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=5558 |publisher=Hendon Mob |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-date=June 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604193934/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=5558 |url-status=live }}</ref> and triple that number in 2004.<ref name="WSOP2004">{{cite web |title=$10,000 World Championship Event |url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=6628 |publisher=Hendon Mob |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704171621/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=6628 |url-status=live }}</ref> The crowning of the [[2004 World Series of Poker|2004 WSOP]] champion, [[Greg Raymer|Greg "Fossilman" Raymer]], a [[patent attorney]] from Connecticut, further fueled the popularity of the event among amateur (and particularly Internet) players.<ref name="Raymer">{{cite web |title=Greg Raymer |url=http://www.pokerstars.com/team-pokerstars/greg-raymer/ |publisher=Poker Stars |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-date=October 14, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014231546/http://www.pokerstars.com/team-pokerstars/greg-raymer/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[World Series of Poker, 2005|2005 main event]], an unprecedented 5,619 entrants vied for a first prize of $7,500,000. The winner, [[Joe Hachem]] of Australia, was a semi-professional player.<ref name="WSOP2005">{{cite web |title=$10,000 No Limit Texas Hold'em: World Championship Event |url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=14015 |publisher=Hendon Mob |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104194230/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=14015 |url-status=live }}</ref> This growth continued in [[2006 World Series of Poker|2006]], with 8,773 entrants and a first place prize of $12,000,000 (won by [[Jamie Gold]]).<ref name="WSOP2006">{{cite web |title=$10,000 No Limit Texas Hold'em: World Championship Event |url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=15849 |publisher=Hendon Mob  | access-date=October 27, 2006| archive-date=August 20, 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820161949/http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=15849  | url-status=live}}</ref>

Beyond the series, other television shows—including the long running ''[[World Poker Tour]]''—are credited with increasing the popularity of Texas hold 'em.<ref name="WPTPopularity">{{cite journal |last=Stutz |first=Howard |date=July 20, 2006 |title=WPT hit with lawsuit |journal=Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News |pages=Lexis–Nexis}}</ref> In addition to its presence on network and general audience cable television,<ref>Examples of poker on general audience television include ''[[Poker After Dark]]'' ([[NBC]]), ''[[High Stakes Poker]]'' ([[Game Show Network|GSN]]), and the aforementioned ''World Poker Tour'' (formerly [[the Travel Channel]], now GSN)</ref>  poker has now become a regular part of sports networks' programming in the United States.<ref name="FSNFall">{{cite journal |last=Lewis |first=Christian |date=September 5, 2006 |title=FSN Bulks Up on Bowls |journal=Multichannel News |pages=24}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
The English journalist and biographer [[Anthony Holden]] spent a year on the professional poker circuit from 1988 to 1989 and wrote about his experiences in ''[[Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player]]''. The follow-up book, ''[[Bigger Deal|Bigger Deal: A Year Inside the Poker Boom]]'' covers the period 2005–2006 and describes a poker world "changed beyond recognition".<ref>{{cite news |first=Susan |last=Casey |title=Raise You One |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Casey.t.html |location=New York |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 6, 2007 |access-date=February 23, 2017 |archive-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701083748/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Casey.t.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Twenty years after the publication of Alvarez's groundbreaking book, James McManus
published a semi-autobiographical book, ''Positively Fifth Street'' (2003), which simultaneously describes the trial surrounding the murder of [[Ted Binion]] and McManus's own entry into the [[2000 World Series of Poker]].<ref>{{cite book |last=McManus |first=James |title=Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs and Binion's World Series |year=2003 |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |isbn=978-0-374-23648-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/positivelyfifths00mcma}}</ref>  McManus, a poker amateur, finished fifth in the no-limit Texas hold 'em main event, winning over $200,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=4727 |title=James McManus: Hendon Mob Poker Database |access-date=January 8, 2007 |work=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |archive-date=October 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022001521/http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=4727 |url-status=live}}</ref>  In the book McManus discusses events surrounding the series, the trial of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish, poker strategy, and some history of poker and the world series.

[[Michael Craig (author)|Michael Craig]]'s 2005 book ''[[The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King]]'' details a series of high-stakes Texas hold 'em one-on-one games between Texas banker [[Andy Beal]] and a rotating group of poker professionals. As of 2006, these games were the highest stakes ever played, reaching $100,000–$200,000 [[fixed limit]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Craig |first=Michael |title=The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time |year=2005 |publisher=Warner Books |isbn=978-0-446-57769-4}}</ref>

=== Online poker ===
{{Main|Online poker}}
[[File:PartyPokerRevenue.svg|thumb|right|Poker revenues from [[Party Gaming]] (2002–2006). The drop off in 2006 is due to the [[UIGEA]].]]
The ability to play cheaply and anonymously online has been credited as a cause of the increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em.<ref name="Moneymaker" />  Online poker sites both allow people to try out games (in some cases the games are entirely free to play and are just for fun social experiences) and also provide an avenue for entry into large tournaments (like the World Series of Poker) via smaller tournaments known as satellites. The 2003 and 2004 winners (Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively) of the World Series no-limit hold 'em main event qualified by playing in these tournaments.<ref name="RaymerCigar">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,189,00.html |title=People Profile – Greg Raymer |access-date=January 8, 2007 |last=Kaplan |first=Michael |year=2006 |magazine=Cigar Aficionado |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203043443/http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,189,00.html |archive-date=February 3, 2007}}</ref><ref name="MoneymakerBio">{{cite web |url=http://www.chrismoneymaker.com/poker/bio/ |title=Chris Moneymaker Poker Biography |access-date=January 8, 2007 |last=Moneymaker |first=Chris |publisher=ChrisMoneymaker.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106140912/http://www.chrismoneymaker.com/poker/bio/ |archive-date=January 6, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Although online poker grew from its inception in 1998 until 2003, Moneymaker's win and the appearance of television advertisements in 2003 contributed to a tripling of industry revenues in 2004.<ref name="RegisterOnline">{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/12/online_poker/ |title=Punters warm to online poker |access-date=January 5, 2007 |last=Cook |first=Steve |date=January 12, 2005 |website=The Register |archive-date=January 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106072710/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/12/online_poker/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="pokertips">{{cite web |title=Poker History: Online Poker |url=http://www.pokertips.org/history/online-poker.php |publisher=PokerTips |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923060356/http://www.pokertips.org/history/online-poker.php |url-status=live }}</ref>