Poker in Hollywood - Silver Screen Actors Play Poker
Poker is getting more and more popular, and the rich and famous of Hollywood are joining the game, not just behind closed doors!
Some Big Names in Hollywood Poker
What do Jack Black, Drew Carey, James Woods, Mimi Rogers, Norm Macdonald, Steve Harris, and Fred Savage have in common? They all watch the World Poker Tour, and they're all playing poker. These days, pretty much everyone in Hollywood from Ed Asner to Ben Affleck to Paris Hilton is getting into the game. They're on the World Poker Tour at the Hollywood home games. Even Carmen Electra hosted a charity poker tournament back in 2006. Poker is getting more popular by the minute and the big names aren't hiding their interest anymore. In fact, they're proudly displaying their poker prowess. Each World Poker Tour brings more and more of Hollywood's stars to the table, and has more and more Americans tuning in.
Playing Against Hollywood's Finest
Some online poker sites have capitalized on the celebrities who play poker, and have created sites that allow regular players to play against Hollywood names. Some sites have special tournaments hosted by celebrities. Players who manage to knock out the celebrity host get a bounty, and players who play well enough get to play head-to-head against a real Hollywood celebrity. Players should find out how often celebrities play at their site before they get taken in by the promise of celebrities. Moreover, players should beware of celebrities who are really poker champions. It may be a real thrill to beat them, but if you're not an amazing player, your chances of beating them are incredibly low
California's Views on Poker
Poker is legal in California as long as you stick to the tribal casinos and the legal card rooms. There are plenty of opportunities to play poker legally in California. Interestingly enough, it looks like online poker may not stay illegal in California. The California legislature is looking at the possibility of in-state online poker.
Poker in Movies and Television
Poker has been shown in movies as far back as black-and-white 'spaghetti' westerns. Of course, in those days, the game was five-card draw, but it the motivation for many a showdown. More recently, there have been a lot of films about playing poker professionally and the dangers involved with playing poker for a living. There are also plenty of movies and television shows where poker is mentioned as an activity in a way that it wasn't mentioned back in the 1980's. Poker has left the dark back rooms, and made it to the shiny forefront of American entertainment. You won't find poker restricted to movies like Rounders and Maverick anymore. You'll find poker games in shows like NCIS and Veronica Mars and in sitcoms like Grace Under Fire. For example, on NCIS, the audience is shown what is supposed to be a poker game, but looking at the table, it is clear that it is not anyone's serious attempt at play. On Veronica Mars, Veronica is hired to find out who stole the pot for a serious game of Texas hold'em.