The popularity of Texas Holdem Even though Texas Holdem is the most popular game in America currently, and - on second thought - all over the world, up until fairly recently, it had been virtually unknown for the better part of the gambling and poker-playing public.

Games like 7-card Stud and 5-card Draw used to rule poker rooms (or some variations of the two) whilst community card poker was forced to take a back seat. Originating from Texas, this extremely fast game promoting instant gratification, wasn't all that popular with the masses up until 2003. As a matter of fact, it hadn't even been part of main-stream poker until 1971, when it was used for the first time to decide the overall champion of a prestigious live poker event: the Worlds Series of Poker.

As Texas Holdem slowly but surely secured its place as a perpetual "main-eventer", its popularity also began to grow, especially amongst those who already knew more than a thing or two about poker. The true popularity explosion that Holdem has seen though, was largely due to the media. The Average Joe first came into contact with the phenomenon on his TV screen. Watching the heroes of the WPT battling it out night after night on television, while nonchalantly playing away huge fortunes, was the American Dream itself for some. At that stage, it probably wasn't the game itself that seemed so enticing, but rather the prospect of winning almost a million bucks, without any hard work and apparently without any special abilities whatsoever.

The game itself was embraced because of the fact that it was trendy, and it was really simple to learn. A person who had never played an online poker hand in his/her life, after a couple of WPT shows, would feel like he/she was already an expert in the matter. Yes, Texas Holdem is apparently simple to master. Many people find themselves tricked by this apparent simplicity. Under the surface however, there is a game of immense complexity. This too can be very attractive for players just discovering the true nature of the game. How can something be so simple, yet so intricate in the same time? The real popularity explosion came with the advent of online poker in 2004.

Chris Moneymaker had earned his WSOP entry through online poker just a year before, and had gone on to win the main event. Online poker players couldn't possibly have made up a better dream themselves, if it hadn't been served to them like that. Suddenly, everyone with the slightest interest in poker, began signing up to poker rooms, where they quickly joined the most popular tables, the ones offering Texas Holdem. Texas Holdem is beyond doubt the flagship of every poker room. Sure, they have Omaha, and Stud, and some might even host Pineapple games, but without Texas Holdem, there wouldn't be online poker at all.

Texas Holdem is not only gleefully simple to learn, it also provides new-comers with an edge, no other poker game could ever hope to match: a huge luck induced short term variance. In layman terms: the little guy can deliver a can of whoopass to any big old pro, provided he gets lucky. That's right. Texas Holdem is a game where the gambling element is more prevalent than in any other poker genre, and Americans are gamblers. Easy money never looked more attractive than it does in Holdem, and if the average people like Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem could do it, who's to say you or I won't be the next embodiment of the American dream? This is the element that's by far the most attractive in Holdem. "Learn about the advantages of poker propping!" .