The evolution of online poker has been a rollercoaster ride of rapid growth, setbacks, and resurgence. It all began in 1998, when Planet Poker, the inaugural realmoney online cardroom, debuted. Coincidentally, the same year witnessed the release of Rounders, a movie that delved into high-stakes poker, featuring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, and gained a cult following. Fast forward to 2003 when Chris Moneymaker’s remarkable triumph in the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas, stemming from an $86 satellite tournament, triggered an unprecedented boom in poker circles, forever etched in history as the “Moneymaker Effect.” Moneymaker, a previously unknown recreational player who worked as an accountant in Tennessee, beat a Main Event field of 839 entrants, up nearly 200 players from the year prior, but the craze resulted in a tripling of the field in 2004, up to 2,576 players. By 2006, it reached a new record of 8,773 players. However, the massive growth was eventually stunted by cheating scandals, fear of bots, and general Poker Industry Overview 48 Sponsored by Casino City’s iGaming Pocket Directory POKER
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