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To some people, poker is a thrilling past time. To others, it is a way of living. But no matter how you see the game, you'll never taste its full flavor until you try your hand at online poker tournaments. Online poker tournaments are the pathways that can lead you to your moments of glory in poker. Poker legends have traveled these paths. Skills are brought to greater heights through online poker tournaments. Allow us to show you why.
Online poker history is not complete without including the roots of the physical version of the game. Unlike the firecracker and the papyrus, nobody could pinpoint quite exactly where poker, and therefore online poker history, really began. While it may have originated from Europe and Persia, the game truly evolved in the United States. It spread across the country through Mississippi Riverboats. Its colorful evolution makes online poker history easier to comprehend.
Although its origins barely have concrete documentations, it is accepted that online poker history dates back 200 years. Poker�s slow metamorphosis probably began in China in 969 A.D. with the emperor Mu-Tsung playing �domino cards� with his wife. The next traces of online poker history can be found in Egypt where fragments of playing cards that date back to the 12th and 13th centuries were found. Whatever the Egyptians did with the cards still remain a mystery, but online poker history is filled with such mysteries. Still, a 16th century eastern derivation �Ganjifa� (Treasure Hunt) used cards that can be linked to the remains of the mysterious cards from Ancient Egypt. It is said that the �Ganjifa� cards may have inspired the Persian game �As-Nas�. Played in the 17th century, �As-Nas� closely resembled poker in terms of meted deals, betting rounds and hand rankings, leading many to believe it had a role in online poker history. A popular French game called poque, which involved betting and bluffing, is also an integral part of online poker history.
Online poker history clearly had a New World connection. When French settlers came to New Orleans, they brought with them their enjoyment for poque. Persian sailors setting port in New Orleans introduced �As-Nas� to the locals, as America�s online poker history unfolds. Both games may have been merged together and as travelers came and went, the game became popular. Con men are also played a role in online poker history, using the game to rid people of their �poke� or cash. In 1834, Jonathan Green formally named it �the cheating game�. He called it poker in his book �An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling.� It was the first written documentation of the word. It gave online poker history a more concrete foundation.
As poker developed into different variations, so did the people who enjoyed the game, as our online poker history lesson reveals. What was once played by outlaws, cheats, conmen and sailors is now widely popular and enjoyed by a large chunk of the population. Poker�s popularity was an integral part in the making of online poker history.
Online poker history shows how the game has become unstoppable ever since. 5-card was widely popular during the Civil War era and continued to be for about a century. 7-card Stud�s turn to shine happened before World War 2 and remained in the spotlight for over 40 years. In 1970�s Texas Hold�em made its mark in online poker history and proceeded to outshine the rest. It continues to be the main attraction today.
The year 1998 in online poker history witnessed the very first online poker room. For a very short period of time, Planet Poker relished its being the one and only. Since then, other poker rooms have made their mark in online poker history, such as VC Poker, Doyle�s Room, and Blue Square Poker. But Planet Poker greatly contributed to online poker history by establishing the initial rake structure, 5% up to a $3 max rake, which remains constant today.
The emergence of Poker Spot in May 2000 was significant to online poker history. It became the first poker room to offer online tournaments. Unfortunately, the firm was unable to give the players their winnings. Owner Dutch Boyd, a popular poker player, claimed that his company was unable to collect player deposits from its credit card processing firm. The players� money was not in the system. Because of that incident in online poker history, e-cash surfaced, Neteller in particular.
Online poker history saw the emergence of Poker Stars and Party Poker in 2001. The industry�s growth was steady. In 2003 poker suddenly sky-rocketed beyond expectations, all because of the $40 buy-in made by Chris Moneymaker for a satellite event. From there, he practically soared all the way through WSOP, landing first place and cool $2.5 mil. Chris Moneymaker is known in online poker history as the man who placed the whole industry on the map.
From then on, online poker�s explosion was inevitable. The game�s enthralling nature and the Moneymaker phenomenon saw to it that online poker reverberated far and wide, dramatically changing the face of online poker history.
In 2004, a total of 2,600 players competed for the 5 million grand prize in the World Series of Poker. It broke the record of the 800-player turn-out in 2003. Online poker history records show that almost half of the participants gained their entries through online satellite tournaments. Another feather in the industry�s cap, the champion was once again an online player, Greg Raymer. The 2005 WSOP came and with it, a whopping 6,000 registrants, with the internet setting an online poker history record for its player contribution to the event!
Huge turn-outs to major tournaments enhanced the industry�s credibility. Looking back, online poker history will show that satellite tournaments became more popular than ever. Because of this, major B & M tournaments are well-subscribed. Television also plays a significant part in online poker history. Networks such as ESPN, provides live coverage to a captive audience from all over the world, thus increasing awareness for online poker.
It is quite evident that the industry still has a long, long way to go. Online poker history clearly depicts constant innovation, emerging technology, and a widening reach of the internet. These changes will bring the game to even greater heights.
Throughout online poker history, each entity�s effort; the online poker industry, physical casino industry, television and organizers, and even the Persians, the settlers and sailors of long ago, have all placed poker where it is today. In the hearts of the people, as a well-loved game. Online poker history has countless pages left, and with the way online poker is evolving, online poker history will be filled with more enthralling happenings soon enough.
Julian Thibodeaux III shut down his computer took a long swig of beer and smiled in satisfaction. He just won big money. Those suckers never called his bluff. His grandpa would have been proud of him. He heard about his grandpa�s adventures countless times. The victories, the times he got robbed, the fist fights and how he got thrown overboard from Mississippi Riverboats, all for the love of the game. �Thank God for online poker�, he thought happily and took another swig of beer. It was 2005.
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