Why Poker has grown So Much
Most of us had an image of poker that wasn’t too pretty. Smoke filled rooms, with shady people, with cheating almost expected. So, let’s see how poker became big business.
Three key things have happened that created the boom. They have caused poker to become a big money maker. It’s an interesting combination of events that led to this happening.
The first step in the evolution of poker is when in 1998 Planet poker became the first online poker room. Online casinos had been around for about four years by then. So, with people starting to play poker from home our story begins.
We have had poker on television all the way back into the 70’s. The coverage was very limited. Small audiences didn’t help inspire more coverage.
This would change dramatically, eventually. The second key factor in changing poker is the hole card camera, or “pocket cam”. Patented way back in 1994, and was used briefly in Europe in 1997. Once used to it’s fullest, this tool revolutionized watching poker on the television.
From these two things, online poker and the pocket cam, things will start to take off. In 2002, in their WSOP coverage, ESPN uses the pocket cam for the first time. Later that year the WPT forms, and will also broadcast taped coverage with the pocket cam.
The use of the pocket cam gets more people watching. The fact that the viewer can see what the players have increases the drama, and exposes the strategies. ESPN decides to show a lot more of the event the following year.
They decide they will cover the tournament from beginning to end and increase the air time. Pocket cam is used at the feature table and obviously the final table. The story that unfolds changes poker forever.
The first fully covered WSOP Main Event sees an internet amateur beat 839 players to win the title and $2.5 million. He outlasts many top name pros in the late stages. Chris Moneymaker qualified online for $40 to get his $10,000 seat.
When Chris Moneymaker goes from an unknown, small time, internet poker player, to WSOP Main Event Champion, the poker boom accelerates massively. He gives hope to every player that anyone can win the biggie. The rest is history, and the world has gone poker crazy.
The pocket cam got people watching on television. The internet made poker available to everyone. Chris Moneymaker gives us all hope that maybe we can be the world champ.