11:19 PM EDT on Friday, October 1, 2004

By Renee Murphy/ WHAS 11 News

Louisville -- The game of poker, once the dramatic stuff of western saloons, has made its way into modern life.

Louisville stores can not keep poker tables in stock and audiences can't get enough of the game on television.

On a Friday night, it is not uncommon for the crew from Watson's in Jeffersontown at the end of the work day to pull out the cards. Do the fast shuffle and try to mess with Texas.

"The game might be a fad, but poker will always be around," says Scott Groan.

The game in this case is Texas Hold'em. It has fast become one of the more popular poker games in America. Louisville is no exception. It's a game many didn't start playing until they saw it on TV.

"You can read people sometimes. People's hands will shake. Some people will look down," says Groan.

The game has grown and some treat it like a sport. ESPN has the World Championship of Poker. You can see the cards fall and fly on Bravo and the Travel Channel. Those shows draw millions of viewers weekly

"You get a bunch of good fellas, bunch of good people, girls too," says Bob Patterson, poker player. "Now that's a good evening."

Poker tables are in high demand. Some retailers say they sell ten tables and thousands of chips a month.

"It has been a phenomemon, thats for sure," says Mike Hall of Watson's.

There are countless poker sites online where you can take your pick of games. The opportunities to play are endless.

Some area churches say they too are benefitting from the popularity of poker. One local church told WHAS News they can raise as muich as $10,000 when holding a Texas Hold'em tournament as a fundraiser.