Tunicas Gold Strike Casino is competing with Grand Casino for the best poker place for high rollers. The casino offers its players exclusive buffets, plasma screen television and prize money that reached last year to 5 million dollars. The popularity of the TV show World Poker Tour, broadcasted on the Travel Channel and featured celebrities learning to play the game, helped to raise the popularity of the Tunicas tournaments.
The seventh year Tunica poker tournament starts on Monday, with the final tables due to start on January 19. Chris Jesus Ferguson, who earned more than 4 million dollars in poker tournaments, is attending this year poker tournament, along with more than hundred players from across the world. The World Series of Poker is one of the most popular tournaments in the US since its coverage on ESPN channel. Last Year World Series of Poker had more than 106 million dollars in cash money. The final game champion, Joseph Hachem, earned 7.5 million dollars.
The growing popularity of poker in the last years was helped by the Television coverage of both celebrity and professional games. Mary Cracchiolo, assistant director of public affairs for Tunicas Gold Strike casino, says that the popularity of the poker tournaments can benefit the local economy, since Tunica is becoming the number 1 destination for poker players from across the world. The estimated profits of Tunicas gambling industry is 1.2 billion dollars a year.
