For those of us whose significant others frown upon a weekly poker
night with the boys or with the girls, online poker is the answer. You
no longer need to hide in your basement with bowls of stale Fritos and a
six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon to enjoy a game of poker. Rather, the
internet has brought the game right to your computer. This is a more
recent phenomenon, however, as online poker rooms have only arisen in
the past ten or twelve years; just a child compared to the 200-year
history of "old-fashioned," face-to-poker face poker.
Online poker
was preceded by other forms of online gambling such as sports-orienting
betting in the early 1990's and online casinos in the mid 1990's.
Planet Poker, a now smaller operation, established the first online
poker room in 1998 and a year later, Paradise Poker emerged. Their use
of effective advertising, innovative software, and international appeal
led them to the forefront of online poker where they still enjoy the
status as one of the industry leaders. In 2000, Poker Spot emerged as
the first online poker site to offer tournament play. However, this site
suffered from technical difficulties that resulted in its unfortunate
demise.
Through the early years of the 21st Century, Paradise
Poker remained the top firm in the biz until 2003 when poker hit
mainstream television. The World Poker Tour premiered on the Travel
Channel and captured the highest ratings in the network's history. This
not only led to a dramatic rise in poker's popularity, but it also
resulted in the emergence of another online poker giant. A company
called Party Poker launched a well-devised advertising campaign that
aired during the World Poker Tour. This brilliant marketing led them to
the forefront of the industry where they currently hold almost half of
the entire online poker community.
Following this rating booms
experienced by the Travel Channel, other networks such as ESPN began
airing live poker as part of their regular programming. Shows such as
Celebrity Poker are still immensely popular. These shows not only led to
the increased visibility and popularity of poker, but they resulted in a
boom in online gaming. Many viewers felt inspired by the fact that
entrants were qualifying for big tournaments through online play. Online
poker received some big press in both 2003 and 2004 when the winners of
the World Series of Poker were Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, both
online players through Poker Stars. This free advertising was quite
effective, and 6,000 entrants for the World Series of Poker qualified
through online play in 2005.
