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Of all the different kinds of skilled games where betting is involved, poker must surely be the king of the gambling world.

What other game of skill or sport can attract such huge numbers of players to play in tournaments around the world and be prepared to pay an enormous buy in or entry fee to take part? Here, in the wake of the latest and easily the largest ever World Series of Poker tournament for 2009, we take a look at why this game above all others is not only held is such high esteem but attracts such a huge following of eager participants.

When you look at the alternatives and where they are placed in the grand order of things, you soon see why poker emerges as a clear winner. Football is the world's best loved and most popular sport by far and is played by almost every nation on the planet. Even the United States, once a staunch ignorer of "the beautiful game" in favour of their own national game, also called football but bearing little resemblance to the bigger game, have put together a strong national team that can compete with the best in the world. But even the massive popularity of football as a spectator sport does not attract the numbers of actual players, the ones risking their money, as poker attracts.

This year's World Series of Poker's Main Event attracted a huge field of 6,457 players, each of whom put up a $10,000 buy in just to take part. What other sport can match that level of commitment?

Horse racing is similarly huge, but again, it is a spectator sport where many thousands of bettors will risk their money on the outcome of a single race, but that race will only consist of a certain number of contenders being the horses, their jockeys and the owners or stable. While a large prize pot may go to the winner, even in the world's riches races, none of them comes even close to the $8.5 million first prize taken away by this year's winner, or even the $5.18 million taken by the player who took second place.

There are big prizes in world tournaments of snooker and darts, but again, the field taking part in the finals is a mere handful of players and their entry fees are chicken feed in comparison. Tennis attracts a lot of players who have become household names thanks to the television coverage. They play for big prize money, but it is not in the same league as poker. In fact, tennis players, as with most high profile sports personalities derive the bulk of their earnings from sports sponsorships and advertising, for instance branded sportswear manufacturers, sports drinks, cosmetics and a whole host of others. Top poker players make all of their money almost entirely from their own skill and ability at the poker table.

So what makes poker players so enthusiastic about gambling in tournament settings and for such high stakes, while sports bettors tend to be by and large far more cautious? How can such a game, with its extremely high buy in levels attract so many players?

Poker is one of those games that really cater to the kind of action present at tournaments. Poker players, by definition are conditioned to play and bet against each other and it doesn't matter if it’s a table with six players or a field mobbed by six thousand, it all comes down to a one on one situation for the pot. In that field, it is the player with the best skill and not always necessarily the best hand is the one who wins.
 
By contrast, sports' betting features the bettor against the bookmaker where the bettor is not directly involved in the game being wagered on. In fact in most sports, it is illegal for a player to bet directly on the game they are playing in, as this may affect the outcome of the result or could be construed as cheating.

In the United States, poker has a massive advantage over other forms of gambling and sports betting in particular, because of the gambling laws. Poker is perfectly legal in around forty states, whereas sports' betting is only legal in four, at the time of writing.

Poker is also a game that appeals to audiences worldwide with Texas Hold'em being the current favourite. The game benefits from the countless hours of coverage from major television networks while it is glamorized via the very slick packaging and promotion of its media fuelled product. The incredible popularity of poker simply feeds on itself.

If poker were merely a game of numbers, which it is most certainly not, those numbers would not lie. A field consisting of 6,457 players each with $10,000 to put where their mouths are tell a tale that cannot be ignored. Poker is a force to be reckoned with and poker players show more gumption and gambling spirit than any one else.