Celebrity Interest 'Has Helped Poker Grow'

Poker has benefited from stars such as American Pie actress Shannon Elizabeth showing off their skills at the felt, it has been suggested.

Shannon Elizabeth – who many people know from films such as American Pie – exited the $10,000 (£5,100) buy-in World Series of Poker (WSOP) opening event recently and helped highlight how poker has become so popular in the process.

That is the opinion of writer Ed Graney, who when reflecting on the WSOP's opening exchanges in his Las Vegas Review-Journal (LVRJ) column suggested that the celebrity aspect of poker has helped the game reach a "soaring level".

Elizabeth quickly lost her $20,000 worth of chips but her leaving of the table "sent whispers throughout the ballroom", indicating the watchability of the card game now celebrities have become increasingly involved.

The WSOP has grown over the years and now has thousands of entrants who compete over a number of days in a variety of different tournaments.

Famous poker player Doyle Brunson was reported by the LVRJ as saying: "Nobody in their wildest dreams could have ever imagined it being this big."

It would appear that celebrity poker players like the aforementioned Elizabeth, as well as footballer Teddy Sheringham and cricketer Shane Warne, have helped grow the competition and the game as a whole.