Poker chips have been around for almost as long as the game of poker itself has been around. Although, these poker chips were definitely not what you or I would pick up for a gaming session with our buddies. During the 1800s, as poker and gaming in general was gaining popularity across the United States, particularly in the west, there was a need to keep track of the game play and of winnings and losses.

Not everybody had the same currency, and some people had no currency at all. Instead, perhaps they had small pieces of gold they were able to mine out or other expensive ores, gems or minerals. Maybe they just had a lot of supplies or even exotic or hard to grow foods. This was all most people had, so these were used by players as poker chips. However, there was also need for standardization and larger amount of chips.

Players wanted to play with more money than they always carried with them, or if they did have their money with them, they didn’t want to leave it on a table with a bunch of angry, edgy guys getting drunk and losing their money. And who can blame them for that? So bars and gambling houses began providing poker chips to these players. They would hold on to the money, probably collect a fee for their efforts, and everybody would be on an equal playing ground and their money and valuables would be safe.

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To have the life of a professional poker player is a dream most people have when they learn poker. They fantasize about their desired career constantly: getting to decide when they work, having their favorite game as their own job, traveling and exploring new places everytime there is a tournament. The best part of it all is that with poker, one can earn millions — that certainly is a high income that one can garner just from playing a card game. However, most don’t realize that in order to achieve that sort of goal, they cannot just learn poker like anyone else. They have to master it, and learn the strategies that professionals use, aside from developing their own.

Anyone can become a professional poker player, for there are no real requirements to become one. People who learn poker and play it often can already call themselves professional poker players, despite having lost ten times in a row. Only the poker player can give himself that title if they truly wish to do so. One may choose to become a professional poker player if they feel that they are truly gifted at it and can earn money from it than from any other job. Also, he or she must be extremely dedicated to the game, and therefore should be prepared to play it for hours on end each day, without getting tired or bored of it.

Some also learn poker and eventually come to love the poker lifestyle, choosing that as the main reason for wanting to play the game professionally. They realize that poker will not earn them much, but do it anyway because of their love for it. Very few people actually rely on poker to get them through life, and do have several other jobs while participating in competitions.

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Poker is a very popular casino game and its popularity is increasing all the more due to the advancements in technology and television. According to many players, poker is a game that holds a lot of appeal to their instincts and challenges their skills. There are many famous poker players who have earned a fortune with this game. The ten most famous players are:

Full tilt poker: Erick Lindgren: He makes constant efforts to play a better poker game by observing his opponents very closely. The first major tournament of poker won by Erick was at Bellagio and since then this famous poker player has been playing at Full Tilt poker exclusively.

Chris Ferguson: Due to the special appearance of this poker player, people nicknamed him “Jesus”. For 18 straight years Chris Ferguson was enrolled at the UCLA, as a graduate for 5 years and as an undergraduate for 13 years. Even though he had to leave, he was given PhD in Computer science before leaving.

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