Nevertheless, Twitter does not merely exist to spew meaningless tweets into the social vacuum; indeed, there has long been a concern amongst online poker tournament organisers that social networking tools of its kind could be used to a player’s advantage, which is why WSOP players had previously been banned from using Twitter during the tournament. However, in a recent tweaking of its rules, the WSOP has softened its stance on Twitter and the use of mobile phones during a tournament.

Introduced last week, the WSOP’s rule number 55 states: “All cell phones and other voice-enabled and ‘ringing’ electronic devices must be turned off during tournament play. Players not involved in a hand (cards in muck) shall be permitted to text/email at the table, but shall not be permitted to text/email any other player at the table”. Although the WSOP reserves the discretionary right to impose penalties on any player it feels has breached the new rule, it may be difficult to effectively prevent players communicating with each other in this way – especially where third parties are involved. Many UK poker tournaments have banned the use of such devices in order to ensure a fairer game, so it will be interesting to see how the WSOP fares after this rule change.

The reason for the dip in attendance after the 2006 series is new laws reduced the number of entrants who could win their place by playing online, though the downturn hasn’t affected the popularity of the tournament. The main event is a no limit Texas Hold ‘Em game which has a hefty $10,000 buy-in and the prize money in recent years has been above $7.5 million thanks to the large number of initial participants. The main event is supported by an additional 45 different types of poker all with different rules and regulations and it’s great for amateurs and pros. The grand prize itself is coupled with a golden bracelet which champions consider to be the highest accolade a professional poker player can achieve because of the heritage and prestige of the World Series of Poker. There has also been an award for the Player of the Year since 2004, based on an accumulation of points over the course of the World Series of Poker.

Over the years there have been some amazing feats of poker playing and clashes of well known titans at the tables of the World Series of Poker and since 2005 saw the Horseshoe bought by the massive Harrah group of gambling and entertainment venues, spin offs and tournaments have taken place in some of Las Vegas’ most iconic casinos, including Caesar’s Palace, home of the Tournament of Champions. One of the most exciting comebacks in its history occurred in 1982 when player Jack Straus didn’t realise he still had a $500 chip left and was about to throw in the towel, only to discover it and came back to win. Thanks to the power of online poker many great players have gained entry to the tournament in recent years after honing their talents online, most notably the 2007 champion Jerry Yang. Having only started playing 2 years prior to his victory, this poker prodigy won his place thanks to a satellite tournament in California and went on to win the jackpot of $8.25 million, proving that just about anything is possible in the World Series of Poker.

The 2009 World Series of Poker has the largest jackpot prize ever, with over $8.5 million up for grabs to one skilful and indeed lucky player. There are already 6,494 players signed up and ready to go, so it should once again be a classic year. This year there are a total of 57 different events, including the main game and of course the winners of each will be able to drape their wrists with a World Series of Poker bracelet.

The most well-known and prestigious tournaments in poker are the World Series of Poker (WSOP) held annually in Las Vegas, where the first prize is always a coveted WSOP bracelet and a lot of cash. From its foundation in the 1970’s, it has grown into a series of tournaments that attracts poker players from all around the globe in their thousands. The prize fund for the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event is now tens of millions of dollars. These tournaments have proved extremely popular with poker pros and amateur players aspire to one day compete and even win. Indeed, the past few winners of the WSOP Main Event were amateurs who became multi-millionaire celebrities overnight. The WSOP isn’t the only organisation that hosts real world tournaments. UK Poker is another that holds a wide range of tournaments around the world. The Irish Winter Festival (currently scheduled for this coming October) and the Asian Poker Tour are just a sample of the tournaments they organise, as well as numerous satellite qualifiers in-between these events.

What makes the fascination with poker so strong are the names behind the game. Professional poker players who are everyday, ordinary people, are now household names. Possibly the most well-known poker player in the world today is Phil Ivey, resident support member of Full-Tilt Poker and one of one of the most feared players in the game. He, however, isn’t unique in this aspect. Full-Tilt Poker has a whole host of celebrity professionals: Allen Cunningham, one of the most successful players in terms of money won; Gus Hansen, a three time World Poker Tour (WPT) winner and Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson, a Ph.D. in computer science and the winner of the Championship No-Limit Hold-em tournament at the WSOP in 2000. There are also celebrities from unrelated fields who make appearances at the poker table, an indication of just how popular the game has become. These have included the Spiderman actor Tobey Maguire, a participant of the WSOP Main Event for the past few years. The ‘Ante Up For Africa’ charity tournament on July 2nd 2009 had Hollywood actors Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Mekhi Phifer, ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ actor Brad Garrett and professional poker player Phil Hellmuth, winner of the most WSOP bracelets in history, among the big names participating in the annual event.