ONLINE POKER TOURNAMENTS

Have you noticed a rather distinctive trend unfolding in the world of poker, on both the professional and amateur levels? Perhaps you have noticed a number of new trends, each of them the worthy of lengthy discussion and analysis. But I am referring to a very specific aspect which has become impossible to ignore in recent years. The rise in tournament play has been a truly startling development for people such as myself who have been following the game of poker for decades.

It is not simply that such staggering sums of money can now be won in a wide number of poker tournaments, but that so many new waves of people are getting involved in the action. And these folks are not the type of salty, weathered gamblers who you would expect to see sitting around a table in a no-limit game of Texas Holdem for a million-dollar pot. No, oftentimes these are just normal, everyday folks who lead rather boring lives, work boring jobs and raise boring kids. And yet, they have tapped into the most thrilling card game ever invented, and are risking huge amounts of money for the chance to become a champion.

Obviously, it goes without saying that the Internet is the primary source of this explosion. The number of online satellite tournaments underway at any given moment continues to grow, as do the number of participants involved. If I had to point to one particular event which acted as a catalyst for this trend, it was the introduction of Chris Moneymaker to professional poker status back in 2003.

Surely you remember how Moneymaker, who never gambled professionally in his entire life, earned a seat at the main event of the World Series of Poker by virtue of winning a satellite tournament at Poker Stars. The fact that he went on to defeat all of the competition at the main event and win his very own bracelet set off a depth charge which continues to reverberate across America and the world. Suddenly, it became obvious to every John, Dick and Mary out there in Lower Dogpatch U.S.A. that they too could do what Moneymaker had done.

Now everyone is looking to find the hottest online tournament, which will give them the best chance of achieving meteoric success. Providing a complete list of these tournaments would be an act of utter folly, like trying to hit a constantly moving target with a bazooka. However, there is no question that the tournaments held at Poker Stars should remain on the top of anyone's list. In addition, you will find a staggering array of action at sites such as Ultimate Bet, Bodog, Full Tilt Poker and Party Poker.

It really pays to read the fine print before entering these tournaments, as the buy-in fees and potential pots can vary dramatically. So be sure to look before you leap, because once you enter the tournament world you may never be the same. Just ask Moneymaker.