For those of us whose significant others frown upon a weekly poker night with the boys or with the girls, online poker is the answer. You no longer need to hide within your basement with bowls of stale Fritos as well as a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon to enjoy a game of poker. Rather, the net has brought the game right to your computer. This is a more recent phenomenon, on the flip side, as online poker rooms have only arisen within the past ten or twelve years; just a child compared to the 200-year history of “old-fashioned,” face-to-poker face poker.

Online poker was preceded by other kinds of online gambling such as sports-orienting betting within the early 1990’s and online casinos within the mid 1990’s. Planet Poker, a now smaller operation, established the first online poker room in 1998 and also a year later, Paradise Poker emerged. Their utilization of effective advertising, innovative software, and international appeal led them to the forefront of online poker where they still take pleasure in the status as one of the industry leaders. In 2000, Poker Spot emerged as the first online poker site to offer tournament play. On the other hand, this site been inflicted by technical difficulties that resulted in its unfortunate demise.

Through the early years of the 21st Century, Paradise Poker remained the top firm in the biz until 2003 when poker hit mainstream television. The World Poker Tour premiered on the Travel Channel and captured the highest ratings within the network’s history. This not only led to a dramatic rise in poker’s popularity, but it also resulted in the emergence of another online poker giant. A business called Party Poker launched a well-devised advertising campaign that aired through the World Poker Tour. This brilliant marketing led them to the forefront of the area where they currently hold almost half of the whole online poker community.

Following this rating booms experienced by the Travel Channel, other networks such as ESPN began airing live poker as part of their regular programming. Shows for example Celebrity Poker are still immensely popular. These shows not simply led to the increased visibility and popularity of poker, nevertheless they resulted in a boom in online gaming. Many viewers felt inspired by the proven fact that entrants were qualifying for big tournaments through online play. Online poker received some big press in both 2003 and 2004 in the event the winners of the World Series of Poker were Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, both online players through Poker Stars. This free advertising was quite effective, and 6,000 entrants for the World Series of Poker qualified through good online betting play in 2005.

Since this time, new firms continue to emerge, and some sources report that revenues brought in at virtual tables have nearly tripled within the last few years.