Everywhere you look these days on TV, you’re bound to come across a pack of playing cards.

“Celebrity Poker Showdown” on Bravo, gambling-inspired dramas like ESPN’s “Tilt” and endless “World Series of Poker” reruns are all methods of tapping into the appeal of Texas Hold ’em.

That appeal has not passed over Iowa State. This year marked the third Texas Hold ’em intramural tournament for students.

John Misra, sophomore in mechanical engineering, defeated 258 students to become the champion and won a coveted intramural champion T-shirt.

Misra is cautious about poker — perhaps it is that attitude that led him to defeat the other tournament hopefuls.

“I actually just learned last August or July,” Misra says. “I play it off and on, but not really that much. I just like getting better. You get to hang out with a lot of people and just have fun.”

For Misra, Hold ’em is best played with friends with low stakes. The most he has won in one day is $60 to $70.

The game’s popularity has definitely reached a peak, Misra says.

“I know there are people that play every night and play online as well,” he says. “You can pretty much find a game every single night.”

Misra says he doesn’t let poker interfere with everything else in his life, but he does play a few times a week.

Linda Marticke, intramural coordinator, says Texas Hold ’em was added to intramural activities because of a demand from students, and turnout has never faltered — about 300 student sign up each year. Marticke credits TV for bringing Hold ’em out into the mainstream.

“People have keyed into that, I think, and made it popular,” she says.