In the past poker has been seen an a pretty anarchic activity, and gambling in general as a bit dodgy. But the landscape is evolving with changes to legislation, acceptance in wider mass culture and the influx of millions of new players around the world.

Many of these new players need to feel safe when they particpate, and similarly, the top elite players would also welcome a degree of regulation and standardisation in the way the game is managed.

To that end there are a couple fledgling organisations seeking to establish consistency in the game and one such is The World Poker Association (WPA).