Poker tournaments have gained
increasing popularity over the last number of years.
Much of it can be attributed to an increase in
television coverage, the growth of online poker and to
online qualifier Chris Moneymaker's win in the 2003
WSOP $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Event. Poker tournaments
appeal to so many people due to the fact that any
player can get lucky and will have a shot at winning a
life-changing amount of money from a fairly small
investment. For example, the winner of the 2004 WSOP
$10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Event received $5,000,000 in
prize money, which was 500 times the entry fee. This,
combined with the possibility of entering such events
virtually for free by winning a satellite tournament,
makes such tournaments almost impossible to resist.
Though placing first in a poker tournament is largely
reliant on luck, as in all forms of poker skill plays
a major role in long-term success. It is not a
coincidence that you repeatedly see the same names of
top players in the money. For example in the WSOP
$10,000 Event, the late Stu Ungar won three times,
Johnny Chan has won back-to-back titles and finished
second once. Doyle Brunson won it twice and made the
final table several times and T.J. Cloutier has
finished second twice and made several final tables.
Again, in order to win a tournament you have to get
lucky, but to place in the money (and occasionally
finish in first place) on a regular basis you must be
a very skilled player.
