Poker News / Short-Stacked Shamus / 01 January 2010 / Leave a Comment

Ten years ago we all woke up hoping that when we turned on our computers they would still function. Oh, and also, that the world hadn't ended.

Thankfully most all of those apocalyptic "Y2K"-related fears turned out to be unfounded. In addition to our being relieved that our computers seemed to be working properly that morning, most of you opening up this page today probably were not subsequently thinking about playing a little online poker on January 1, 2000.

But today, well, you just might.

The rise of the online game is just one of the many remarkable changes that have occurred over the last decade in the poker universe. Indeed, that "universe" in and of itself has witnessed a lot of "big bang"-type moments that have forever altered the way we experience our favorite card game. I thought it might be worthwhile to highlight ten of those moments here as a way of marking the end of the 2000s, the decade poker went "boom."

I have arranged these chronologically, since ranking them seemed both too challenging and maybe even counterintuitive. History is, after all, a chain of circumstance, and with most of these big moments, the latter ones could never have happened if not for what came before.

John Duthie wins inaugural Poker Million (November 16, 2000)
The television director's triumph in the first-ever Poker Million on the Isle of Man was both an historic moment in and of itself, and one that would yield subsequent consequences for poker -- on an international scale, in fact. The size of the prize (£1,000,000) was noteworthy, rivaling the $1.5 million Chris "Jesus" Ferguson had earned earlier in the year for winning the WSOP Main Event. The event was televised as well and watched by millions, introducing for many (following the 1999 debut of "Late Night Poker") the under-the-glass cameras showing players' hole cards. That Duthie would go on in 2004 to create the European Poker Tour -- itself an important moment for poker during the 2000s -- adds further to the significance of his win.

The launch of PartyPoker (August 2001) and PokerStars (September 2001)
Online poker existed prior to the 2000s. Play money games conducted via IRC (Internet Relay Chat) in the 1990s eventually led to creation of sites like Planet Poker, the first site to offer real money games starting on January 1, 1998. Other sites soon emerged to compete, including Paradise Poker (1999), UltimateBet (2000), and PokerSpot (2000). However, for a signal "moment" in the early history of online poker, the entries of PokerStars and PartyPoker in 2001 into online poker would change the game considerably. (Full Tilt would come along in 2004.) In particular, the decision of PartyPoker to advertise with the World Poker Tour (see our next moment), was a key in helping stimulate the early, spectacular growth of the online game.

The World Poker Tour's television debut (March 30, 2003)
In 1999, Steve Lipscomb was hired to produce a documentary for the Discovery Channel, titled "On the Inside of the World Series of Poker," which proved a hit with viewers. Soon after, PartyPoker launched, having introduced the PartyPoker Million, a big money event for which players could qualify via satellites on the new site. Lipscomb approached PartyPoker consultant and spokesman Mike Sexton about filming that event, and did so for the Travel Channel, again garnering impressive ratings. Soon the World Poker Tour was founded, a new series of televised high-stakes, no-limit hold'em tourneys played all around the world. The final table of the first WPT event, the Five Diamond Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, played out back on May 31, 2002, and it finally aired the following spring, with Sexton and Vince Van Patten providing commentary on the victory of a then unknown backgammon player named Gus Hansen.

Chris Moneymaker wins World Series of Poker Main Event (May 23, 2003)
Ask anyone what ignited the poker "boom" and invariably the name Chris Moneymaker will be evoked. A then-unprecedented field of 839 runners came to Vegas in the spring of 2003 to compete in the WSOP Main Event, a 27-year-old accountant from Tennessee with an uncannily appropriate last name among them. One of several amateurs who had qualified for the tourney via inexpensive online satellites, Moneymaker parlayed that initial $39 investment into a $2.5 million payday after outlasting Sam Farha in a memorable heads-up duel. One could reasonably argue the "moment" here didn't really occur until later that fall, when ESPN televised Moneymaker's victory in a craftily-packaged, seven-episode series that like the WPT took advantage of new "hole card camera" technology to heighten the drama of tournament poker.

Harrah's purchases Binion's, moves WSOP to the Rio (2004-2005)
In January 2004, Harrah's Entertainment purchased Binion's Horseshoe, site of the WSOP since its inception in 1970. The Series remained at Binion's in 2004, though struggled to accommodate the monstrous field of 2,576 that came out for that year's Main Event won by Greg Raymer. Harrah's had already announced, however, its intention to relocate the WSOP, and in 2005 they did just that, moving it to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino where it has remained ever since. As a last hurrah, however, the final two days of the 2005 WSOP Main Event were held back at Binion's, where Joe Hachem emerged from the original field of 5,619 to claim the bracelet.

Jamie Gold wins 2006 WSOP Main Event, largest poker tourney prize ever (July 28, 2006)
Something of a "peak" moment in the decade, one might say, at least in terms of poker's staggering rise. An incredible 8,773 entrants had come to the Rio that summer to compete in the WSOP Main Event, creating a total prize pool of more than $82 million. The final table was streamed live on the internet and could be watched on a pay-per-view basis. The winner, a television producer and amateur player named Jamie Gold, won a $12 million first prize, the largest single payday in tournament poker history. We'd learn later that Gold was unable to claim the entire prize, having entered into an agreement prior to the tournament that would result in him dividing the winnings. Nevertheless, at the time of Gold's win it seemed there was no stopping poker's stunning growth.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 signed into law (October 13, 2006)
Just a couple of months later, everything changed. A bill in the U.S. Congress, abbreviated the UIGEA, was surreptitiously appended to another bill and passed by the House and Senate without debate in late September. The UIGEA, designed to prohibit transactions between U.S. citizens and online gambling sites, was signed into law two weeks later by then President George W. Bush. Despite the fact that the UIGEA has yet to be fully implemented, the effect of the law's passage was nevertheless dramatic and instantaneous, with the world of online poker subsequently divided into those sites that allow Americans and those that do not.

Annette Obrestad wins inaugural World Series of Poker Europe Main Event (September 15, 2007)
While attendance at the 2007 WSOP did take a hit thanks in large part to the UIGEA, that didn't prevent the Series from expanding to Europe later that year. For the WSOPE's first Main Event, a £10,000 no-limit hold'em tourney, internet phenom Annette Obrestad from Norway bested a field of 362 of the world's toughest players to claim the £1,000,000 first prize. Not only had Obrestad claimed the largest cash prize ever for a woman in a poker tournament, she was also the youngest WSOP bracelet winner ever as she would turn 19 shortly after the event's conclusion.

UltimateBet alerted to allegations of possible cheating on its site (January 12, 2008)
In trying to single out one "moment" from the insider cheating scandals that occurred on Absolute Poker and UltimateBet during the latter half of the decade, the day UltimateBet was informed by some of its users about suspicious activity on the site seems the best one to highlight as central to this especially significant story. Following AP's scandal (smaller in scope), UB, a site owned by the same company, would announce in March 2008 that it had been informed of possible cheating on the site. UB then confirmed that the winrate of a particular player -- NioNio -- was indeed abnormal and worthy of investigating further. All told, over 30 individuals were implicated in the scandal, with more than $22 million returned to cheated players.

"November Nine" created (May 1, 2008)
At the time it seemed a little late in the game to be announcing such a major change, but on the first of May -- just a few weeks away from the start of the 2008 WSOP -- Harrah's announced that the final table of the WSOP Main Event would not be played in July as expected, but delayed until November. The announcement was initially met with a lot of skepticism, but gradually arguments regarding the chance to build greater interest in the final table and to seek out further marketing opportunities for poker and poker players became more convincing. When the final table was actually played out, it proved a ratings success on ESPN and the experiment was made a permanent part of the WSOP schedule the following year, helping create the sense of a much longer "season" for the WSOP.

Ten moments of note, then. Just for kicks, let's add ten more worthy of mentioning before saying our final goodbyes to the "noughts" -- and perhaps going to play a little online poker:

Dan Harrington reaches third WSOP Main Event final table, finishing fourth (May 28, 2004, after finishing third in 2003 and winning in 1995).

Inaugural event of the first European Poker Tour in Barcelona (September 18, 2004).

PartyGaming goes public (June 27, 2005).

Mike Matusow returns to the WSOP Main Event final table (July 15, 2005, after finishing sixth in 2001).

Phil Hellmuth, Jr. claims WSOP bracelet lead with 11th win (June 11, 2007).

The death of David "Chip" Reese at age 56 (December 4, 2007).

Peter Eastgate breaks Hellmuth's record for youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever (November 10, 2008).

Jeff Shulman's second deep WSOP Main Event run (November 7, 2009, after finishing seventh in 2000, the last year the WSOP final table was played six-handed).

Joe Cada breaks Eastgate's youngest-ever WSOP Main Event winner record (November 9, 2009).

Patrik Antonius wins largest online pot ever of $1,356,946.50 versus Isildur1 (November 21, 2009).

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comment: