What is Online Poker? This tournament has received a lot of coverage from ESPN. In 2003, over 800 players participated in the No Limit Hold'em main event at the World Series of Poker, the largest turn out ever, and internet play contributed to this record. That record would soon be broken with the World Series of Poker in 2004, when 2,600 players competed for the grand prize of $5 million. It is estimated that almost half of the entrants qualified to the tournament via online poker satellite tournaments! It was inevitable that this huge prize was to be eclipsed in 2005 when the grand prize reached a whopping $7.5 million. It was won by Joseph Hachem, an Australian who defeated 5618 other players to get to the top position. Online poker has exploded in popularity over the course of the past few years. More and more players are winning big money in tournaments with little or no real talent and within other money games. In order to win, you have to play like a pro, but can be a novice player. The best players are educated on all aspects of poker and have practiced extensively.
Online poker is still comparatively new, starting in 1998 but really hitting the online industry big in 2005. The first online poker room was Planet Poker, launched in 1998. The only problem with online poker is the sense of not knowing what you are doing. It takes time to learn how to play poker and being thrown into it with others who are above your skill level can leave you without any money. Once you have signed up and deposited cash to your account you can start playing real cash games. In the beginning it would be a good idea that you play low limit games at a regular table as apposed to tournaments. It gets you in the action straight away and you can leave anytime without being obligated to continue play. You could also sit back and simply watch others play before joining into the action. Once you get more familiar with the game of poker and a bit more proficient, you should try the tournaments which are running constantly on every online poker room. For as little as a $1 buyin, you can participate against thousands of other players to see how good you are at tournament play. Look out also for the FREEROLL tournaments which allow you to buyin to free tournaments to test the waters. |
Online poker exploded in 2003 when poker hit television in the US and ESPN. There were many forms of poker being played all over the US airwaves. For example, the World Poker Tour debuted on the Travel Channel in March of 2003, and became one of the highest rating shows in Travel Channel's history. But, the mother of all poker is that of The World Series of Poker. 
Online poker has been the fastest growing segment of the online gambling industry over the last year and a half. According to some sources, the online poker industry has grown by a rate of 600% in the last year alone. Online poker has seen its greatest expansion coming from the United States , but there is huge potential for further online poker growth in Europe and the rest of the world. This rise can be attributed to the amount of play time it has received on television with channels such as ESPN. 
