Poker rooms and casinos in the gambling industry are picking up on the buzz that the future of the game is looking brighter than ever.

With the recent news that an online poker room recently beat the industry record for the most number of simultaneous ring players (over 20,000!), it seems that finally poker fans are putting their UIGEA shock behind them.

Titan Poker, the legendary poker room that operates off Playtech’s iPoker network, is well known in the industry for its generous guaranteed prize pools. The site gives away, on average, $10-million a month and recently announced that it would be giving away $2-million in a guaranteed prize pool tournament in March, 2008. Players can win their seats in this tournament through multi table qualifiers or sit and go tournaments, or they can buy in directly. Needless to say, the tournament is open to all players, with lucrative minimum wagering requirements.  

Another tournament to look forward to is the Canadian Open Poker Championship, to be held in Calgary . Heads Up Entertainment recently announced that this exciting tournament would close in March, 2008 with its five main events sharing a guaranteed prize pool of over $1.3-million. The Canadian Open will feature a varied schedule.  From a $500 Freezeout Charity event (maximum 250 players) that will see 5% of the prize pool donated to a breast cancer charity, to a $1000 buy-in freezout tournament, there is sure to be something for everybody at this must-attend event.  

Online poker fans that want to get in on the action can try their luck at the popular Everest Poker Avalanche. If last year’s event is anything to go by, this is one tournament not to be missed! This year’s event promises to give players an even better chance of grabbing part of the million-dollar prize pool, with weekly qualifiers and other great offers. 

Other tournaments to look out for include the Aruba Classic Poker event, set to culminate in September of this year, as well as industry benchmark events such as the World Series of Poker. With all these announcements in the first week of the year alone, 2008 promises to be exhilarating on the poker scene – online and off! 

Author:  Renee Kingsley