History of Online Poker

Online poker has only been around a relatively short amount of time. However, during that time poker sites have grown in popularity at an extraordinary rate. The first online poker site came onto the Internet in 1998 and opened up a whole new world to poker players located around the world. The introduction of that first site, Planet Poker, introduced poker players to an environment where they were more in control of their gaming experience and offered the utmost in convenience. It didn’t take very long for other online poker sites to appear, offering players more choices and opportunities.

The Beginning

In 2003 Party Poker launched a TV campaign in which poker players not too familiar with the the latest developments on the internet were also urged to find a site which would allow them to play poker without the inconvenience of playing in a land based poker setting. While Party Poker may have originally put out its campaign in order to draw more attention to itself and what it had to offer, it actually caused more attention to be directed at the real money online poker industry as a whole.

In 2003 there was one player who really helped to bring these online poker into the spotlight. Chris Moneymaker played at PokerStars and won entry into satellites by which led to him earning a seat at the WSOP. Moneymaker won and brought an enormous amount of attention to the online poker sites with his success. There is no doubt that 2003 was a great year for online poker. However the industry saw tremendous growth in 2004, when the online poker really exploded in popularity.

Popularity Explosion

As more poker players started turning to the real money online poker sites, more sites were introduced. This led to quite a bit of competition and the online poker sites had to implement different bonuses and promotions in order to draw more attention to them and away from the competition. While the bonuses and promotions have proven to be effective and work in the poker sites benefit, they have also become extremely beneficial to the players. Some real money players have become extremely good at using bonuses and promotions to their advantage.

Real money poker sites have also learned through the years what players want in regards to the games and features. This has led to the software providers trying to outdo one another with amazing graphics, good sound quality, different types of poker games, special features and player options, and the utmost in security. The online poker sites have also put a lot into their designs. Players can now play in real money games which offer very realistic looks. Many players find they get as much out of playing online as they do playing in land based poker games.

Constant Changes in the Online Poker Industry

The online poker industry have seen a lot of changes regarding the legalities of playing online. It seems as if things change almost daily. Luckily, there are many resources available for free which do a good job of keeping players up to date with current events regarding playing poker on the Internet.

Today, there are many poker sites for players to choose from and each one offers something different. It can be confusing for new players to find the best place for them to play, especially if they are a US player. However, the enormous popularity of online poker has led to the creations of sites focused on providing information to players and pointing them in the right direction. The more popular poker sites have an impressive number of players registered and see daily traffic which can be in the thousands. This means players can count on logging on to their poker site and always being able to find plenty of games.

Game Variety

Online players have the ability to enjoy a very wide variety of tournaments such as sit & gos, satellites, and free rolls. These tournaments offer players a lot of fun and they will have the chance to win huge jackpots, as well as other rewards. Some tournament winners will win seats into other events both online and offline. Online poker has come a long way since its beginning and is expected to continue growing and developing.

It opens the doors to those looking to learn poker, those who want to play more than they are able to get to the land based poker rooms, and those who just like the idea of playing online and the freedom and opportunity it offers. In the beginning players were going online to enjoy real money poker games. Today, many players are still logging on to enjoy the games, but a lucky few can earn a living.