Poker isn’t just for high-rollers any longer. Due to a vast collection of leading online poker sites, this game of skill has changed from a dying game seldom found outside of casinos to the global phenomenon we see today. What made this turnaround happen?

Convenience, kicks, and the chance to bet either virtual money or for huge hard cash drove poker sites into the mainstream from the minute the initial websites launched in 1998. Of course it was not long before poker websites were being established at an astonishing pace to get in on the action. Soon the winnings, acclaim, and kicks available on the leading online poker websites brought the initial screening of World Poker Tour to homes around the world in 2002. The next year witness growth in the number of online poker players of over 500%, the WSOP was aired on TV along with Chris Moneymaker the now legendary amateur.

Spectators were amazed when Chris made it look simple to go from rags to riches in merely one game. Most of us could only dream about gambling for a living and Moneymaker was achieving it it. By 2004, this once nearly dead game was pulling in an impressive billion dollars and was still growing. Today, people from all over the globe log into poker websites to play in competitions offering huge cash prizes, but some players just want to try a couple of hands without risk. And, with so many websites and unique varieties to pick and choose from, there is a place for you in the game regardless of whether you’re just starting out or a professional. Yet if you’d rather just watch on one of the many poker websites, it’s easy to spot the biggest players in poker playing all the time on TV. But, now that you can play pretend money and get rid of any risks, you basically have nothing to lose. It might even turn out to be the opportunity you have been waiting for.

Online poker has changed the game in a short period of time. Now that playing online has become so painless and such fun, you can be sure this phenomenon is going to go from strength to strength.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 6:17 pm and is filed under Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.