While it is true that there is much money to be earned by participating in all manner of Texas Hold'em poker tournaments, especially those that are televised and have tremendous limits, participating in the tournament can be costly and expensive if the player does not manage to cash in or bring back some kind of winnings.  And the fees can be exorbitant and playing in Texas Hold'em poker tournaments generally means following the poker tournament around as it travels, an expensive proposition even for the most well-heeled of professional poker players.  In many cases participating in the Texas Hold'em poker tournaments can be prohibitively expensive and present very little revenue generated for those who don't come in in the top positions.  It can even be difficult to break even with this type of Texas Hold'em poker tournament circuit lifestyle.  Many assume that the professional poker player is only concerned with the amount of money that they can make on the Texas Hold'em poker tournament circuit.  The truth is, quite often, professional poker players depend more on the exposure that can be gained from playing in the World Series of poker tournament in Las Vegas and other famous Texas Hold'em poker tournaments around the world.

By participating in these world-famous Texas Hold'em poker series tournaments, professional poker players can raise their level of exposure and increase the chances that they might be offered some type of lucrative sponsorship deal or endorsement plan for expensive products or services, similar to the way that sports professionals such as Michael Jordan and Anna Kournikova earn income on the side. The endorsement plans can sometimes be more than what the athlete or player earns throughout the year or the season.  By increasing their exposure and allowing more and more opportunities for them to be photographed and featured in mass media publications, professional poker players increase the chances that some type of endorsement plan or advertising deal can be reached with a participating company.

Some professional poker players, such as Phil Ivey and others have found success by playing in online poker rooms and casinos such as Fulltiltpoker.com.  Others have written books and experienced extreme success.  Instructional poker DVDs and books at poker supply sites written by professionals such as Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth are always huge sellers, as players realize the need for experienced tutorials and helpful advice from veterans and poker playing professionals.