Place your bets

Bill Archer's hands shake as he pulls them back from the middle of the table where he has just left all of his chips. The 27-year-old DeSoto native's legs quiver as he waits in anticipation to see if someone is going to call his bet. The player to his left comments that Archer is pretty calm considering this could be his last hand of the night.

"I'm surprised you can't hear my heart beating through my chest," said Archer, who has been playing Texas Hold'em for only six months. In the past four years, Texas Hold'em poker has gained rapid popularity and has moved from smoky basements to prime-time television.

Networks including Bravo, ESPN and Fox Sports Net are broadcasting poker professionals and amateurs playing in high-stake games, including the most prestigious tournament, the World Series of Poker. The 2004 winner received $5 million.

Saturday night fever

It's 8:55 p.m. Saturday, and the restless crowd of 53 friends and strangers stir impatiently, quietly smoking cigarettes and making small talk while they wait for the 9 o'clock hour to strike. The next four hours in the poker room at Fred's Dance Barn in Carterville will be mentally challenging.

Finally, 9 p.m. arrives and the players shuffle like cattle into the back room. The main lights dim, and the auxiliary lamps hanging above give the green felt tables a warm glow as the cards are shuffled and tossed to each player. The game at hand is No Limit Texas Hold'em. And on Saturday nights at the popular Carterville hangout, it is played tournament style, which means the winner gets $100 and everyone else goes home empty-handed.

Although gambling without a license is illegal, they aren't actually gambling, said Len Mead, manager of Fred's Dance Barn. The players are paying the cover charge to get into Fred's, Mead said. From there, it's their decision to play cards or dance to the music. And since they aren't paying to enter the tournament, Mead said its not breaking any laws.

Twenty minutes into the game, Teddy King, a 21-year-old from Marion, is the first person to be knocked out. He walks out with his head high because he had won a couple of weeks ago. "I've already won before," King said. "I was going to try and double up, but I lost. Now I can go out there and dance."

As the losing players exit the room through the turnstile doors, they are soon lost in the crowd of cowboy hats and country music. Back in the poker room, a thick gray cloud of smoke blankets the room as the players sink down in their chairs. Although the game pits players against one another, the atmosphere is friendly. Cool tones and sports chatter float through the room as friendly handshakes are exchanged across the table each time a player is eliminated.

The steady shuffle of eliminated players and the blaring country music in the background keeps the noise level of the room constant, but nothing can distract the players from their game. "You have the winning hand, huh," Steve Tharp said to his opponent as he rakes in the chips from the pot with a confident smile on his face. His adversary had the better hand but folded it, giving Tharp the victory.

From the home to the Internet

Archer, like many players across the United States, learned to play Hold'em online. Nowadays, thousands of online companies provide players with the chance to play poker with millions of people from around the world. According to the American Gaming Associations Web site, the first online casino was launched in 1995. Five years later, almost 300 companies around the world operated more than 1,800 Internet gambling sites.

According to Pokerforum.com, it is estimated that in 2003, nearly 12 million people gambled on the Internet and about 4.5 million of those were Americans. Many Web sites offer online poker. Partypoker.com has the world's largest poker room, where players can play for real or fake money and offers No Limit Texas Hold'em, Omaha and seven-card stud games. Ultimatebet.com offers players an opportunity for real or fake money and presents the competitor with the largest variety of card games online. Another online company, pokerroom.com, offers players the opportunity to play on a Web browser so they do not have to download any software. All online companies have a minimum age of 18 to play.

Style is a must

At Fred's Dance Barn, all 53 players bring different styles to the table. The 21 and older players sip their beers, while the underage crowd's drinks vary from soda to water. The group also sports a wide range of clothing and accessories. Some players wear hats or beanies. A few players wear dark glasses, which can prevent others from reading the strength of their hand and allow them to read other players easily.

Even with all these strategies, luck has a lot to do with cards as well. Players bring lucky chips won in previous tournaments or, in Charles Smith's case, a lucky T-shirt. For the past eight weeks, Smith, a 21-year-old from Royalton, has worn the same poker shirt to Fred's. In that time, he has made it to the final table every time. This week he opted not to wear it, and although he got to the final table, he didn't win.

Beyond the array of disguises, all poker players have different styles of play. Some are tight and aggressive, which means they only play premium hands, and other choose to play loose, meaning they will play a lot of hands. Two and a half hours into competition, the last woman is eliminated from the competition. Jessica King, an 18-year-old from Marion, rises from her seat with a smile on her face. King said she played her best but just wasn't good enough tonight. She was one of six women at the tournament. However, she said that doesn't intimidate her in the least.

"I can play just as good as most of the males here," King said. Since poker's boom on national television, the increase of women in poker steadily increased, according to womenspokerclub.com. They have created a club where women can get together and play. Since the club's induction in 2004, they have over 700 members.

The final seven

A few minutes after midnight, 53 players have dwindled to seven, which will be the players in the final table. These seven make their way from their respective seats to the center table. From there, competition gets serious.

Thirty minutes into the final table, the conversation turns from sports to mere chuckles and a few spare words about the previous hand. Emotions are null as the first player from the final table bows out. Charles Smith shakes his eliminator's hand and looks toward the exit. After eight weeks at the final table, Smith has yet to win, but maybe next week he will get lucky. As time draws closer to 1 a.m., the stakes are raised every two hands dealt, said Tammy McKay, coordinator of Fred's poker room. The game must be over by 1 a.m. because that is when the place shuts down, McKay said.

Four hours and 52 players later, a victor is crowned winner for week 11 of the competition. Mike Giudice, a freshman from Chicago studying aviation, has won the $100 prize. Giudice promises the money is going to a good place. "I'm going to play more poker," Giudice said. The game ends and the remaining players leave the barn with little protest because they know they will be back next week.