The Final Table: Pokers Lure

It should come as no surprise that Texas Hold 'em poker is responsible for the dramatic upsurge in online gaming profits. After all, one only has to turn on the television most any weeknight, and a poker tournament will surely be showing somewhere. The exposure these days is relentless.

The draw, of course, is the thrill of the final table and the riches that come with it. From poker's roots in dusty Old West saloons, to dazzling casino rooms, to the home PC, it is everywhere today. According to the research service PokerPulse, more than 1.78 million poker players made real money wagers online in January. That number is only expected to increase as tournament prize money continues to grow. On most any given day, an online 'hold 'em' tourney will reward those "in the money" with purses of $100,000, $250,000, even $500,000.

Certainly $2,500,000 is a large sum by anyone's standards. And that's just what a young fellow by the name of Chris Moneymaker from Tennesse won in the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). That princely sum was parlayed from a $39 investment in a "qualifier" at an online poker room. His overnight success story aired countless times on cable television, and suddenly, poker was hot.

Not to be outdone, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer turned a $160 "satellite" entry at the very same poker site into a seat at the 2004 WSOP. Raymer's result? Champion! And a staggering first prize of $5,000,000. Online poker had arrived.

Consider that in January 2002 the industry gross 'rake' (or fees collected) per day was around $100,000. Today, it's near $2.5 million per day. An estimated $16 billion was wagered on internet poker sites in 2004. And, as new devotees enroll in mind-boggling numbers, it's difficult to gauge an industry consensus on just where the limit lies.

Though the poker resurgence began in the U.S., it may be growing faster overseas. Britain, already a gambling-crazed country, accounts for roughly 80% of the European poker market. Germany and Austria have burgeoning poker clubs and communities, while the Scandinavian population may be the ripest emerging new market. Also, it's interesting to note that 30-40% of new European players are female.

The phenomenon of women in poker may hold the key to explaining poker's rapid ascent. In the past, poker was viewed more in the Old West sense. That is, that poker was a game for males conducted mostly illicitly and in less than pleasing surroundings. In fact, up until just a couple of years ago most Las Vegas casinos had gotten out of the poker business. A handful of poker rooms on old Fremont Street were essentially the only games in town.

The internet, however, changed all that. It offers anonymity, is safe and hassle-free, and presents the opportunity for copious rewards in exchange for relatively modest entry fees. What more could a girl want? If she (or he) has the skill, it's possible to compete alongside world-class players and actually win.

But is it extraordinary skill which will get you to the final table? Perhaps. Numerous authors have written on the subject of the perfect poker strategy. The odds, the hands, probabilities, you simply must know what you're doing they say. Just don't tell that to Chris Moneymaker though. He'd never even read a book on poker prior to winning it all.

Nick McFadden has been an avid poker player and student of the game for more than 20 years. He is a contributor to the website "Global Poker" ( http://www.global-poker.net/ ), which offers tips, strategy, and resources for poker players.

---

5s in Blackjack

Counting cards in blackjack is a way to increase your chances of winning. If you're good at it, you can actually take the odds and put them... Read More

American Gambling Basics

Casinos have always been a destination for the wealthy and the famous, however, these days they are hoping to be a regular stopover. But the gambling cannot... Read More

All About Video Poker

Video poker is a casino game that has much in common with slot machines, but it is a slot machine game combined with the rules of five... Read More

Bonuscodes Party Poker : Get more for your deposit buck

Bonuscodes for Party Poker are a great way to get a little extra. Imagine walking into your local casino to play some poker. You buy $300 worth... Read More

Video Poker - The Basics

After Blackjack and Craps, video poker gives you some of the best odds in the casino if you play it right. It combines some of the fun... Read More

Land Casinos Vs. Online Casinos

Since the emergence of a few online casinos in 1996, the growth and popularity of the online gambling industry has skyrocketed at a phenomenal rate. There are... Read More

Video Poker - Choose the Best Machines

There are three basic types of video poker machines:* Jacks or Better* Deuces Wild* Jokers WildTo keep things basic, we recommend you play only the Jacks or... Read More

Party Poker Room Review

Party Poker is one of the world's largest online poker rooms with over 70,000 players. They cover almost 60% of the online poker market. Now what this... Read More

The Concept of Value in Sports Betting!

In sports betting you need to make sure that your bets (and trades) are good value in order to make a profit. If you do not do... Read More

Roulette 101 - Play Like a Pro with 4 Easy Tips

Roulette is a simple game that can yield high profits for a gambler. The house edge is very high in the game of Roulette, so the best... Read More

Online Casino Bonuses Explained

Types Of Online Casino BonusesIf you've ever considered playing at an online casino, you should be aware that the vast majority of them offer cash bonuses as... Read More

Pai Gow Poker Basics

Using the standard poker hand ranking methods (see below), the players must organize their cards so that the five card hand is of higher value than the... Read More

Casino Olympics

It's been advertised globally and has been poised to be the 'biggest online casino event' that the industry has seen yet and it's even been compared to... Read More

How to Succeed in the Poker Freerolls Part 2

How to Succeed in the Poker Freerolls Part 1 looked mostly at what cards to play and when to play them, in Part 2 we take a... Read More

Earn Money Playing Slots...or not

Yay, what a life would that be - sitting behind the fancy slot machine, hitting buttons, sipping Bud Light and constantly cashing out big bucks, or coins.... Read More

International Gambling 101- What You Absolutely Need to Know

All of us are familiar with what does gambling stand for. But the fact is that gambling is not just of one kind. There are several types... Read More

Ten Easy Tips For Improving Your Online Poker Game

When you play poker online, you have options available that you don't have at the card room or at your regular home game. Taking advantage of these... Read More

Simple Jacks or Better Strategy Tutorial

Statistical Arbitrage strategy applied to Video PokerIntroductionJacks or Better is a popular video poker game available at many online casinos. When collecting casino matched deposit bonuses, it... Read More

Fancy Winning A Million Pound Jackpot?

Slot machines have become over the last hundred years, one of the most popular games in land-based casinos. This popularity has now spread to online casinos increasing... Read More

Bingo Basics

Bingo is one of the most simple and general game of all times. Be it children's party, classrooms, charity functions or a simple time pass, Bingo finds... Read More

5 Tips for Finding the Best Poker Websites

There has been an enormous growth in poker websites in the last couple of years and there are now literally hundreds of them to play at. But... Read More

The Other World Series: The 2005 World Series Of Poker

Growing up, the American dream for many boys was playing major league baseball and hitting the game winning home run in the final game of the World... Read More

Video Poker - Should You Play Maximim Coins?

The arguments are almost endless about whether or not to play the maximum number of coins on each hand in video poker. We'll attempt to make some... Read More

Texas Hold em Poker Basics

Texas Hold em Poker (also know as Holdem Poker) is a card game which you'll take a few minutes to learn but many years to master. As... Read More

Becoming a Consistent Winner at Online Low-Limit Texas Hold ?Em

Start with Small Stakes and Play Tight, Tight, and More TightStart SmallBegin playing with small stakes. This might seem obvious to most but my experience has shown... Read More

Virtual Casino Gambling

You might be wondering how virtual casino gambling started and how or why this virtual gambling phenomenon has grown so rapidly.Take a quick look into history of... Read More