In the past few years poker has exploded in popularity and it continues to gather steam. Poker has become so popular that you can even watch poker tournaments on TV. It is difficult to tell if the popularity of poker created the demand for poker matches to be aired on TV or, if airing poker on TV accelerated the popularity of poker. Either way it’s a good thing for the poker lover, and I am not going to be one to complain about a good thing.

I am going to go over a few of the games of poker on TV and what to expect when you tune in.

Celebrity Poker Showdown

Like the title of the show suggests, you will find your favorite or not so favorite celebrities in a no limit Texas Hold’em tournament. The winner from each game advances to the next round and a chance to win money for their charity of choice. This poker on TV series is filmed on location at the Palms casino in Las Vegas. It is hosted by Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall and Talk Radio fame and the game commentary is courtesy of Phil Gorden.

Michael Waltrip Celebrity Poker Tournament

Hosted by Michael Waltrip, this poker tournament gathers Nascar celebrities at the Palms casino in Las Vegas for a Texas Hold’em show down. Each driver has the opportunity to win money for charity. In this tournament you will see your favorite Nascar stars test their metal against each other on at the poker table instead of on the oval track.

Poker Superstars Invitational Tournaments

This poker tournament has invited the top 24 poker players to an “all elite event”. This event features a very large pot with a large buy in ($40,000). But when you are playing with the best in the world you expect to pay. The tournament, to make things interesting for the television audience, introduced a 30 sec shot clock and has the blinds increasing in value every 12 minutes.

World Poker Tour

The World Poker Tour is hosted by Shana Hiatt, Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patton. Hosting tournaments around the world, the World Poker Tour is set to become the PGA or MLB of the poker world. With prize pools in the millions, and having to qualify for the events, the World Poker Tour format leads to some exciting games.

Ultimate Poker Challenge

The Ultimate Poker Challenge has the top poker players from around the world competing for weekly prizes and a chance to play for the top one million dollar prize. This series is hosted by Chad Brown known for his work on “As the Word Turns”, and is filmed on location at the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

World Series of Poker

Winning the World Series of Poker is considered to be the top achievement of any poker player. The winner of this tournament is generally regarded as the World Champion of poker. The World Series of Poker hosts its tournaments around the globe and is the largest poker tournament today.

The future of poker on TV looks bright, so bright in fact that there is talk of a Poker TV channel in the works. Expect to see more celebrities battling each other for charities and high rollers outperforming each other for the big prize. Other casino games have follow the WSOP and created their ownversion of the game. The World Series of Blackjack held tournaments for 4 years on the Game Show Network until they cancelled the show.I wouldn’t be surprised to see a televised poker league airing on a weekly basis. Remember, when you’re watching the PPL (Professional Poker League), that you read about it here first.