Poker is one of the most popular games you can play at a casino, but one variant stands head and shoulders above the others — Texas No-Limit Hold’em.

The game has boomed in recent years, with mainstream television coverage helping to take Hold’em to a much wider audience than had previously been the case.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is widely viewed as the pinnacle of the game, with the annual tournament attracting players from around the world to Las Vegas.

Its origins date back to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker players to the Horseshoe Casino for a single tournament.

Fast forward to the 49th annual tournament in 2018 and there were a record 78 events where players could win a coveted WSOP bracelet and huge cash sums.

Each year the WSOP culminates with the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em ‘Main Event’, which since 2004 has attracted entrants numbering in the thousands. The winner of the event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker.

Many amateur players check the best poker bonuses in the run up to the WSOP in order to build up their bankroll with a view to booking their place in what would be the trip of a lifetime.

The winners in 2003 and 2004, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, both qualified for the main event through online satellite tournaments, while 2007 winner Jerry Yang had only been playing poker for two years prior to his victory.

Moneymaker’s story in particular was the catalyst for many people to take up Texas Hold’em. By playing in a $40 ‘satellite’ tournament, he eventually earned entry into the WSOP by virtue of his success online.

Despite the fact that the event was his first ‘live’ tournament, Moneymaker went on to claim the $2.5 million first prize and the respect of the professionals he defeated.

Since then there have been numerous tales surrounding the Main Event. Busting out of the tournament just before the final table is heartbreaking, but it is an occurrence that can inspire a player to even greater heights.

In 2016, John Cynn was knocked out in 11th place and although he picked up $650,000 for his troubles it was a hugely frustrating experience.

However, Cynn didn’t let it get him down and he bounced back to win the 2018 Main Event and a cool $8,800,000.

The last day of play lasted for well over 11 hours, and the heads-up battle against Tony Miles took the better part of this.

After the longest heads-up battle in the history of the Main Event, Cynn finally got his opponent to commit his chips drawing dead on the turn and he claimed the coveted title. Miles pocketed $5,000,000 for his second-place finish, but the glory and prestige went to Cynn.

The drama of that final match-up is certain to inspire the next generation of players to take up what is undoubtedly one of the best online casino games you can play.