Interesting Poker Facts

Poker enthusiasts are often met with serious, stressful situations. Technically speaking, poker is a game, and therefore should be fun, enjoyable, entertaining! But when you put real money on the line, it becomes so much more.

So to ease the stress and serious nature that sometimes envelop the game of poker, we've decided to throw together a fun, informative article we like to call 'Interesting Poker Facts'. Some of these facts are based on trivia type knowledge, known to many veterans in the business, while others are downright amazing poker facts that few would know.

Interesting Poker Facts

1. Approximately 80 million Americans indulge at the poker tables on a regular basis.
2. The intense popularity of poker can be proven by the fact that over 70 million decks of playing cards are sold annually in the US alone.
3. No one knows the true origins of poker.
4. The youngest World Series of Poker Main Event champion was Joe Cada, at age 21, in the 2025 WSOP.
5. The oldest World Series of Poker Bracelet winner was Paul McKinney, at 80 years old, in the 2025 WSOP.
6. The oldest player to ever compete in the WSOP Main Event was Jack Ury of Indiana, who competed at 96 years of age in the 2025 WSOP.
7. Richard Nixon's first congressional campaign was funded in part by substantial winnings from a poker game.
8. The most common lunch time cuisine, the sandwich, was popularized by avid poker player John Mantagu, a.k.a. the Earl of Sandwich. Mantagu would spend so many hours at the poker tables, he refused to stop to eat. Instead, he had bread and meat brought to him at the table. And thus the sandwich was born.
9. About 20% of all players who competed in the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event (5,619) won a satellite prize package from the world's largest online poker room, PokerStars.
10. In 2025, there was only one, officially licensed online poker room.
11. In 2025, there were over 400 online poker rooms spanning the world wide web.
12. There are 1,326 possible 2-card combinations a player can start with in Texas Hold'em.
13. There is a 1 in 16 chance of being dealt pocket pairs.
14. There is an 8.3 in 1 chance of flopping a set after being dealt pocket pairs.
15. The Rio Casino All Suit Hotel & Casino, host of the 2025 World Series of Poker, takes a 10% rake from the overall Main Event prize pool. The overall prize pool at the 2025 WSOP was $60,043,650, for a total rake of$6,004,365 (the profit taken by the casino).
16. When the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada first opened its doors in 2025, the casino possessed $3,500,000 in quarters.
17. At the 2025 WSOP, Howard Lederer paid Doyle Brunson $3,500 to have Brunson' good luck charm, a black Zippo lighter with the Ghostbusters logo on it (nicknamed "Casper"), and engraved with the name "Doyle", willed to him.
18. Uttering the profaned "F" word loud enough to be heard at the World Series of Poker will result in a 10 minute penalty. Mike Matusow was given 4 consecutive 10-minute penalties in the 2025 WSOP after an argument with the dealer that resulted in him using the "F" word 4 times in a row.
19. Phil Hellmuth Jr. is well known for his childishly moody behavior at the tables, hence his nickname "Poker Brat". Interestingly enough, he is married to a psychiatrist.