With the invention and the adoption of the hole-cam, a perfect storm for poker was brewing. This invention allowed viewers access into poker games like they had never seen before. A few years prior to this, the critically acclaimed movie “Rounders” gave a new perspective on the game of poker. Without damaging the mystique of poker, media had, from several different venues, piqued America’s interest. Poker had gained so much interest that in 2003, ESPN agreed to air the World Series of Poker Main Event, a $10,000 buy-in poker tournament over the course of eight segments.
Concurrently, internet poker had gained popularity with casual players, and for the first time ever, players could satellite into the World Series of Poker Main Event, via online poker sites. To satellite into a poker tournament means to play a smaller buy-in tournament, and the winner of the tournament would receive an entry into a bigger buy-in tournament[1]. What happened next, no one could have ever predicted, nor could they have written a better script for the 2003 World Series Main Event.
Chris Moneymaker, an aptly named amateur poker player was able to satellite into the Main Event from just a $40 buy-in. Moneymaker was an accountant from Tennesee, who, when winning his satellite, tried to cash in the seat for its actual value, but was convinced to fly to Las Vegas and play in the tournament[2]. After eight grueling days, he bested many of the games top professional players, along with the other 838 players who entered the tournament, to win $2.5 million[3].
Because of the prior technological advances that convinced ESPN to cover the event in-depth in eight different segments, they were able to craft emotional storylines leading up to the final table of the event. Moneymaker was the focal point of the cast. It was the favorite American story, underdog takes on the odds on favorites, and bests them all, including Sammy Farha. Farha, who placed second in the tournament that year, was a well-dressed, smooth-talking, cigar-chewing, high-stakes poker player. He was the quintessential poker player. Moneymaker was undeterred, and ended up out maneuvering Farha in a well depicted telecast that captured the attention of America.
The poker-boom was built off of this moment. Poker had officially made its move to “mainstream,” and everyone wanted to take their shot at taking their $40, and turning it into millions. Poker had now gone from smoke-filled casinos to the computer screen. Websites that allowed players to play poker for real money were flowing in, and so began the poker boom. The next year, Main Event entrants went from 839, to 2,576, mainly from online poker sites that ran satellite tournaments around the clock, months before the event.
Online poker was the main avenue for the poker-boom, and it is where this blog will continue next week.
[1]Source: http://poker.about.com/od/pokerglossary/g/Satellite.htm For example, if a player wanted to play in the World Series Main Event, and only had $1,000, he could play in a 10-man tournament, where the buy-in is $1,000. The winner of that 10-man tournament would receive a $10,000 buy-in to the Main Event, rather than just $10,000.
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