There are so many people who are interested in poker these days, that it’s somewhat surprising that there aren’t more anthropologists looking at the game. In terms of pure performance, there are few places that can serve as a gauge of human culture and behavior than this city. Las Vegas shows are filled with extremely talented people who, on one level, are merely adepts at making the every day bigger. The poker table might be another version of this, or at least, it’s well on its way.
It could be argued that this idea of poker performance started to take on some of its contemporary traction from the western films of the 1950s. Here, the notion of poker as a performance became part of the popular consciousness. Poker faces became a representation of toughness, and proper etiquette at the table was absolutely necessary for survival.
Recently, however, shows like Celebrity Poker Showdown have entered the mainstream with an amazing force. The shows have not only inspired people to come to the city and take their chances at the tables, they have also been instrumental in developing momentum for what is becoming a major international past time. Here, on television, people learn more than just the rules of a card game, they learn rules of behavior, that may have nothing to do with the world at large, but it’s so much fun that no one notices.