There is no doubt that online poker is growing in popularity by the minute! More and more players are joining online casinos and taking part in online poker tournaments world-wide. There is clearly something special about playing this ever-popular card game in the online arena. Here’s what we think:

Poker has made the major jump from being viewed as a game to being seen as a sport. This is mainly due to increased media coverage of various high-stake poker tournaments world-wide, such as the 2003 World Series of Poker, the All Africa Poker in South Africa and many more. These tournaments have been receiving extensive television coverage from networks all over the world. Thus turning poker into a household activity, that captures the interest of millions more people across the globe. This media coverage is therefore encouraging more and more players to experience the online poker world, as online poker is the easiest and most convenient way for the potential poker enthusiast to enjoy a tournament-style poker game.

Although there are extensive variations of poker game that can be played in a tournament format, Texas No Limit Hold’em is the most popular tournament format covered by media covered tournament styles as it is the most confrontational and explosive form of poker and therefore provides fantastic entertainment value for audiences and players alike.

The 2003 World Series of poker was a pinnacle event for inciting poker’s popularity as a whole. This specific ‘Cinderella’ story tournament saw a 27 year old accountant as the winner which gave the world hope that this type of glory is in fact in reach for most people, no matter your age or standing in the poker world. The online poker world saw a huge rise in traffic after this prestigious event. People all over the globe started looking for their shot to get a piece of the very lucrative poker pie.

Furthermore, the WSP commands a $10,000 entrance fee, but the opportunity to win a spot in the tournament was made available by several online poker services. The 27 year old winner eventually earned entry into the WSP tournament by virtue of his success online. Despite the fact that the 2003 WSP was his first “live” tournament, the accountant went on to win the $2.5 million first prize and the respect of professional players worldwide. This accomplished two things – it legitimized the notion that online poker players are just as skilled at the game as those who play in casinos, and it truly illustrated that anyone can win. Said the young winner, “I was a little underestimated because no one knew who I was. If I can win it, anybody can.”

This illustrated to the entire poker community all over the world that online poker is a force to be reckoned with. It also showed beginner poker players that you can go from zero to hero through the online poker world in the same manner as “live” poker players can be visiting land-based casinos.

From then onwards, the online poker world exploded with the “anybody can win” mentality behind the game.

By Pete
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