The World Series of Poker: The Best Sport for You to Watch?

The World Series of Poker is back for another round. Kicking off on September 30^th, the poker tournament is well underway, on its way to revealing the Main Event winner on November 7^th. There is lots to watch until then, with everything from charity events to high stakes no-limit hold’em games.

It’s not the first thing people think of when you mention a spectator sport, and yet audiences around the world are tuning in to witness the games, with streams gaining millions of live views. Spectators are turning into players, and before you know it your front lawn has been replaced with green felt.

There is a lot to gain from watching poker, from the thrill of the game to strategy learning. Read on for more information on why you should watch poker.

The thrill of the game

Poker is a game of tactics and tension. That is a recipe for a great TV series, never mind a great spectator sport. You can feel the dense air in the casino. It stiffens shoulders that are hunched over card hands, it creases faces into a concentrating frown, and it is thick with the thoughts of strategy and next moves.

Half the struggle of playing poker is not knowing what cards the other players have and trying to read minds to guess what they’re next move might be and why they are making it. As an audience member, you are privy to a little extra information: the cards. With the knowledge of what each of the players are carrying, you can watch and make your own deductions on players actions or be entirely surprised when they produce a twist move.

The World Series of Poker is definitely the main source of these kinds of thrills. The biggest poker tournament in the world attracts big celebrity names, professional poker players, lucky rookies, and spectators from all over the world. That is a combination that can make for some interesting games.

As an instructional video

There are a lot of ways to improve your poker skills. There are guides online offering tips and tricks. You can sign up to a casino and enjoy for example the New Casino bonuses and offers for everyone and implement the oldest lesson: that practice makes perfect.

Learn from the best of the best, the tried-and-true winners and take what they are offering. Look out for tells to know what to look out for and what to avoid doing. The editing of the game will emphasize them so they will be easy to remember if you’re paying attention. Watch what hands aren’t played to understand when you should fold and when to bluff. Watch how the pros set up their opponents with their bets and keep an eye on what cards were dealt in the turn, flop and river so that you can figure out how they pulled the wool over their table’s eyes.

Take it a step further and insert yourself into the game. No, I’m not saying you need to buy a flight to Las Vegas, but simply block the portion of the screen that displays the other player’s hands and deal yourself a hand. You will learn quicker if you follow every move and apply it to your own situation and learn even more when you realize you were wrong.

Then finally, invite the guy’s round, or join an online table and test out your skills. With all the studying done watching the professionals play, you should find yourself beating every opponent fool enough to approach you.

A risk-free alternative

When you think of a risk-free alternative to poker, party games come to mind. Strip-poker being the obvious one. But whether you consider that a risk or not is down to personal opinion, and your confidence in your poker skills.

For those who love the thrill and the rising tension of poker, watching poker serves as a risk-free alternative. No money is required to visit one of the poker sites with live streaming professionals or enjoy a more personality-driven stream on Twitch.

Where can I watch?

This year the World Series of Poker will run until the 22^nd of November, serving up game after game for you to watch. Witness all the action, the tension, the losses, and monumental wins from the comfort of your own home, since a flight to Las Vegas might not be the easiest thing to get right now. You can watch it on the WSOP website or follow the updates and coverage on YouTube.