Faro, the predecessor of poker, made its way to the US in the 19th century. After it did, it was primarily enjoyed in smoky saloons packed with people who tested their skill and luck on this game illegally. Even for much of the 20th century, poker remained an underground hobby until the 1970s, when the World Series of Poker was established. From that point on, poker grew, and everyone looked at it differently, mainly due to its competitions beginning to take place in luxurious gaming venues packed with famous faces. That went a long way in adding a sense of sophistication to these events.

In the 2000s, poker became a TV phenomenon, and even more, celebrities flocked to public games, turning these tournaments into a blend of competition and entertainment, spectacles where poker got infused by the glitz of high society. Hence, the stakes were no longer only financial. They were also social, as these televised and highly publicized contests allowed a playing field for card gamblers to vie for mainstream fame as well.

Below, we go into how top poker tournaments evolved into the glamorous events we know them as today, telling you about their allure and exploring this topic in some detail.

The Impact of Media & Television

Television has unquestionably been instrumental in shaping poker’s modern image. Shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker did a great job of bringing the game’s drama into North American living rooms and via the magic of YouTube worldwide. This series did a great job showcasing high-end skills displayed in high-stakes action inside lavishly decorated studios. The involvement of celebrities like Tobey Maguire, Don Cheadle, and Matt Damon has also helped boost the game’s establishment and made its competitions appear grander.

Of course, the WSOP and its Main Event have played a massive role in drawing millions of new people to poker and thousands of players to this tournament’s iconic final table, set in Las Vegas’s deluxe resorts such as the Horseshoe Paris Las Vegas, and Rio All-Suite Casino.

These establishments and others like them, hosting non-WSOP events, have brought the glam factor into poker through their opulence, created by sparkling casino floors filled with dazzling lights.

In New Jersey’s Atlantic City, America’s second gaming hotspot, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is the premier poker destination for tourists and locals. With a degree of luxury that matches anything Sin City has to offer, it attracts both professionals and amateurs to its cash tables and daily competitions.

Sponsorships & Trend-Setting

The involvement of major brands enhances the glamour of the main tournaments in the poker sector. In the past, in the pre-2000s era, the industry struggled to rake in recognizable brands. Yet, that is no longer the case today, as famed beverage companies such as Red Bull, Jack Daniel’s, and Monster work with different poker tours. The same goes for luxury brands like Hublot and Tag Heuer. Leading online platforms that organize paid and free poker tournaments also have a foothold in the brick-and-mortar competition realm. Famed hub networks now sponsor contest series such as the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), whose events are known for their luxurious settings.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is another prime example. It has sponsors like Jack Daniel’s and Monster Energy contributing to its tournaments’ prestige, as these are brands everyone knows and ones that only get connected to mass-appeal happenings.

Moreover, top players now have lucrative endorsements that elevate them and reinforce a sense of status in their competitions. That adds to the perception of exclusivity, building the impression that such tournaments are not something the common person can easily reach. They are occasions where only celebrities and industry titans rub shoulders.

The High Stakes Effect

Taking risks is thrilling because it taps into our ingrained psychology, our primal mindset, evident by the fact that it evokes physiological responses we cannot control. High-stakes gambling creates drama that no sport can match, as the possibility of someone winning millions via a single hand is tenser than anything in any Hitchcockian thriller. High-stakes events and high-stakes behaviour are linked with exclusivity, as happenings that facilitate them are usually reserved for only an elite few. That adds to their mystique and builds a certain mythos around such special gatherings.

Pop culture, through music, movies, and episodic shows, frequently glamorizes high-stakes lifestyles, celebrating daring moves in high-pressure circumstances as something to be admired. Championing all of this has, without question, helped the top poker competitions feel like something special, and those competing in them, continuously succeeding at the top of the heap, develop into cult figures.