It’s kind of hard to remember at this point, but just about a decade ago, the game of poker was suffering through a pretty considerable image crisis. Widely construed as shady and even shameful, poker was banished to the sleazy back room bars of the world. Fast forward to 2013 and all of a sudden, poker is back in vogue. There are numerous reasons behind this change in fortunes, from warming attitudes to betting games in general to the rise of online poker sites and smart phone apps. Perhaps the most significant driving force behind poker’s gaining popularity, however, is the power of celebrity.
Bringing the cool
Who better to bring the cool back to poker than super-suave super-spy James Bond? Daniel Craig’s 2006 debut as secret agent 007, Casino Royale was one of the most talked about action flicks of the noughties, and at its very centre lay a brilliantly tense, twisting and turning poker scene. Simply by association with Bond and Casino Royale, poker became cooler in the eyes of a generation of viewers.
Bringing the clever
Irrespective of his many talents as a performer, few are the people who have associated particularly high intelligence with Justin Timberlake over the years. This may well have changed to some (shallow) degree since the release of Runner Runner earlier this year. In this Leonardo DiCaprio-produced caper, Timberlake plays a clever but cash-strapped Masters student trying to pay his way through college by accruing massive online poker winnings. We won’t spoil the plot for you, but the pertinent point is that Timberlake’s character illustrates the fact that to be a great poker player, you’ve got to be smart. If you fancy trying your hand at online poker, this site has the best selection online right now. Play safe – determine how much you want to play with before starting to play. If by any chance you lose that amount, you shouldn’t go over the determined budget.
Bringing the class
One poker pro bringing notably high levels of class to the poker table is British TV personality and former porno reviewer Victoria Coren. The Only Connect host happens to be an exceptional poker and trailblazer for women in the game. Exceptionally bright and stylishly curt, Coren has lent a touch of class to the game of poker that has helped it to shed its seedy image, whilst retaining a pleasing degree of ‘edge’.
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