High profile programs are now regularly aired on ESPN (The World Series of Poker), Bravo (Celebrity Poker Showdown), the Travel Channel (The World Poker Tour), and Fox Sports. The major broadcast networks have also started picking up on the trend. For instance, this year NBC produced its own poker event -- the National Heads-Up Poker Championship -- to counterprogram against the Super Bowl pre-game shows on Fox. ESPN even has its own drama, Tilt, fictionalizing the world of high-stakes poker in Vegas. Poker is, suddenly, serious business.
If we want to get all deconstructionist about it, the reasons for this surge in popularity are pretty straightforward. Televised poker effectively combines aspects of three TV staples: the sporting event, the game show, and the "reality" program. You get to watch real people (and sometimes celebrities) play a game in which the winner is richly rewarded with cash and prizes. It helps, too, that poker is actually one of the great games.
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