Poker games aren’t simply for pro gamblers any longer. Thanks to a variety of top online poker sites, this game of skill has been transformed from a game rarely played outside of Las Vegas to the global phenomenon we see now. So, what made this happen?

Ease of access, exhilaration, and the choice of staking with the choice of ‘fake’ money or for colossal real money pots drove the tremendous growth of these websites from the day the very first websites set up in 1998. Of course, many others discovered the steady growth of the industry, and before too long, poker websites appeared to be launching everyday in an attempt to get their piece of the action. All the excitement resulting from online poker led to events like the World Poker Tour being televised in ‘02. Increasing in participation by almost 500% during the next year, the ‘World Series of Poker’ hit television along with the well-known online player Chris Moneymaker, who played and dominated the competition. This man astonished the world by illustrating that it really was feasible to go from rags to riches solely by betting on one game. The vast majority of us could only dream about playing poker full time and Moneymaker was showing us how it was done. This enhanced the hysteria, and in 2004, this once about dead game was making an astounding billion dollars and was still gaining. Today, the game has a worldwide appeal, people sign on to play for ready cash and big pots, or only to use ‘fake’ money and test their poker skills. There are numerous websites and different games to pick from, it doesn’t matter if you are just starting out or you would like to make your living this way.

Occasionally it’s fun to just watch the poker experts online, you can easily spot the biggest celebrities in the game playing everyday on TV. Though these days to be honest, with the opportunity of betting with fake money means that you’ve essentially eliminated financial risk altogether. You could even find out that you love it. Considering the game was almost lost not long ago, it’s awesome to see where the leading online poker websites have taken the industry to. So now that playing online is so simple and such a blast, it is a safe bet that this industry will go from strength to strength.