Poker jargon is all around us. Phrases such as ace in the hole, call one's bluff, high roller and pass the buck, all come from the game of poker and punctuate our speech every day.

But according to new research, poker is not just making its mark on our language.

Pollsters Forrester claim 76 per cent of the UK's 29 million adult Internet users admit to regularly placing a bet either online or off.

The biggest rise in gaming is in poker and one of its hot spots is 'highbrow' Oxford.

On Sunday, the plush environs of the Randolph Hotel will host the fifth annual Oxford Cup.

Set to attract some of the world's (and the UK's) top poker players, 300 men and women will bet, risk and bluff to win a share of a £14,000 prize fund.

Neil Tattershall, from organisers the University Poker League (UPL), explained the growing appeal of the age-old game.

"Poker isn't complicated," he said.

"Obviously there are many different varieties of the game and Texas Hold 'Em is by far the most popular.

"But for me, poker is a test of my own character.

"I love the strategy, the bluffing, the betting, trying to read people, concentrating on my own lines of attack, but also maintaining good control and a huge amount of patience and composure.

"You have to sit tight and wait for opportunities.

"In fact, the list of qualities of this game is endless. Trust me, you really have to try it."

The modern game probably descended from the French 'poque', which descended from the German pochen (to knock).

But it didn't really start to hit the headlines here until the Oxford University Poker Society was founded in July 2002.

"It was one of the very first poker societies in the UK," said Mr Tattershall.

"The focus was on bringing together the poker games that went on at Oxford's individual colleges.

"Then they built relations with other UK student poker players and inter-university competitions here attracted more and more participants."

The inaugural Oxford Cup was held in March 2003 at the Oxford Union debating chamber.

"Students came from Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Keele and Edinburgh as well as a number of top poker professionals and celebrities," said Mr Tattersall.

"The idea was that students could have a chance to play the best, without having to raise the stakes too much.

"Now the pros keep coming back every year due to the atmosphere."

The names to look out for at this year's tournament include Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliot, Simon 'Aces' Trumper and Roy Houghton, who ran the card room at the Gutshot Casino in London, and is this year's tournament director.

Last year's guest of honour was Greg 'Fossilman' Raymer, winner of the $1m prize in the Las Vegas World Series in 2004.

In terms of winnings, the Oxford Cup is still very much slim pickings compared to the massive jackpots of Vegas - it costs £20 to enter and the winner last time scooped about £4,000.

But Mr Tattersall says the game's popularity is growing to epic proportions.

So what about the concerns of gambling groups, I ask. Is poker dangerous?

"I suppose poker can be addictive, but it's probably the excitement of the game, not really the gambling aspect that attracts people," he said.

"It's a game of skill and so everyone works hard to improve their own game and become a more accomplished player.

"As long as you stick to the limits you can afford, and make sure you're never out of your depth, so to speak, it's a thrilling and competitive pastime."

ACES VIE FOR BASEMENT LEAGUE GLORY

In an unassuming three-storey house in Aston Street, off Iffley Road, Trevor Hambidge and Jeff King invite me to come down and see their basement.

A few death-defying steps later and I found myself in an atmospheric poker room, with a professional nine-seat poker table, chips, cards and a scoreboard the home of the Aston Street Poker League.

Trevor Hambidge, 26, works at Oxford's Museum of Natural History, but almost all his spare time is spent playing poker with friends or online he even gave up work for 18 months to play professionally.

"I have been playing poker for about six years," he said.

"Jeff and I have been housemates for five years and we got this house as soon as we saw the basement.

"There are 70 people in the league and we have about four games a week. There are even two cups in circulation.

"It's not easy playing professionally," he explains.

"You're up until 'silly o'clock' most nights and you have to work 30-40 hours a week if you want to make a living.

"As well as games - and you can go all over the place to take part in them - you spend hours and hours playing online. These are your bread-and-butter games - and I blew up three computers.

"It's a bit like being self-employed in that you have to pay yourself a wage and keep most of your winnings for stakes in your next games.

"There can be a danger if you have a tendency to be an addict, but you can go out for a few drinks and spend £20 in the pub or you can play poker all night, have fun, be challenged and spend £5."

Oxford law student, Laura Howard, 21, is a member of the Aston League.

She said: "I've been playing since last summer.

"I used to watch the guys play, then one night I asked them to teach me how.

"It's a very complex game, but it's very interesting.

"We don't play for large stakes, it's for the enjoyment and prestige of scoring points."

Musician Jeff King, 24, and Mr Hambidge, are now teaching poker to anyone from traders to teachers, in the QI building in Turl Street.

"It's an eight-week masterclass, starting with the physics of the game," said Mr King.

"We've just finished our first course and it went really well. Now we're signing people up for the next."

Both Mr King and Mr Hambidge will be among the contenders in this year's Oxford Cup.

To find out more about their poker course, email dajeff45@hotmail.com

HOW TO PLAY

Each player is dealt five cards. The object is to end up with the highest valued hand.

From best to worst, hands are ranked: Royal Flush, Straight flush, Four of a kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card.

The most valuable hand, a Royal Flush, is a 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, all of the same suit.

The least, a High Card, comes into play if none of the players have anything of value - the player holding the highest value card wins.

For each hand, one or more players make forced bets to create an initial stake for which the players will contest. The dealer shuffles the cards, he or another player cuts, and the appropriate number of cards are dealt to the players one at a time.

The first of what may be several betting rounds begins.

Between rounds, the players' hands develop, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are put in a central pot.

At any time during the first or subsequent rounds, if any player makes a bet, all other players are required to match it or to surrender their cards and forfeit their interest in the pot.

If one player bets and no other player chooses to match the bet, the deal ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are shown, and the next deal begins. This is what makes bluffing possible.

At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown and the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot.