Online Poker Gambling Sees Tremendous
Growth
Online poker gambling at casinos and poker rooms is one of
the fastest growing forms of wagering on the Internet. Fueled by the
televised tournaments seen on Travel Channel's World Poker Tour, ESPN
with the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP), and Bravo's Celebrity
Poker, the popularity of the game is seen everywhere. A huge number of
the qualifiers for the 2004 WSOP gained their entries from playing in
online satellite tournaments for a fraction of the large entry fees
paid by others. Look for more players to enter 2005 world series of
poker satellite tournaments for this reason.
Tournaments at land based casinos are becoming so popular
that people are being turned away, with waits at some lasting two hours
to get a table on the weekends. Smaller land based casinos are
promoting poker tournaments in order to capitalize on the growing trend
of the game. Even though the cut for the house is pretty slim, they
report increasing revenues by the number of patrons who play other
games, buy drinks and food. It is also allowing them to attract new
players which are mostly twentysomethings and women which expands their
customer base.
It seems that most of the upcoming poker stars are a lot
younger than in the past. This is because the years of experience
formally gained at the brick and mortar poker rooms is compressed into
months when playing online. College students watching Texas Hold'Em
poker on TV have taken to playing at crowded tables on campus or online
where they can take advantage of the 24/7 availability of other players
when they can. One college student stated that "Being able to lie
(bluff) and get away with it is exciting when you know the hand you
have is inferior to the one your opponents have." Plus being able to
play for free is also a nice way to learn the game which is a feature
that most poker rooms on the Net offer.
Learning the game is also becoming easier with free lessons
at brick and mortar casinos and also The Travel Channel featuring
review and analysis of poker hands on Wednesdays through it's WPT Poker
Corner. Viewers will learn more in-depth about what they did not see.
Discussions will go over the tells, the big mistakes, and the bluffing
made by others players. This is an excellent way to learn how to
improve one's game.
With the huge piles of money that people can win, more and
more are getting into the game of poker. The 2005 WSOP championship for
next year will boast a $6,000,000 first place prize and anyone making
the final table will be a millionaire. The 2004 WSOP winner turned a
$160 buy-in satellite shootout into a massive $5,000,000 check and so
many endorsements he quit his job as an patent attorney.
