Online Poker - The hottest game on the Internet

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What do Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, James Woods, Ed Norton, Larry Flynt and Gabe Kaplan of the hit 70's show, Welcome Back Kotter have in common? Besides being celebrities they are part of the group that is driving huge droves to online poker rooms. In 2003 at the World Series of Poker Chris Moneymaker, who qualified with $40 from an online poker room, took the championship and $2.5 million dollars.

Online poker continues to enjoy exceptional popularity around the world, having experienced ten-fold growth in the past year to account for more than 15% of the $5.7 billion global online gaming market. Poker has quickly become a favorite with Internet users, attracting an increasing number of both casual players and seasoned professionals.

Commonly thought as a game for middle-aged men, poker is attracing a diverse demographic. For example, women are being increasingly attracted to the excitement of online poker. Many professional women now shop extensively online and it's natural that they should explore other ways of having fun and spending their money online. According to an industry inside, one in six new players is female up from virtually zero just 2 years ago. The typical female player tends to be between 24 and 25, internet savvy, shops online and has a professional business career. Anecdotal evidence from the gambling industry suggests that traditional female traits such as assessing difficult situations, taking in information from multiple sources, make women ideal poker players.

Students at campuses aross the nation are also catching the poker craze. Online poker has become a major part of the poker scene, with a couple students even using it as a source of income. Steve Cesaro of Dartmouth said he plans to spend his summer playing poker rather than working. He said winning $75 to $100 per hour is better than any income he could receive from a summer job. In January, he won $1,700 in six days, then took that money and bought a guitar.

The reason for the success of online poker are:

* Poker is gaining a lot of media attention. TV games shows, high-profile tournaments and the traditional portrayal of poker in film and TV gives the game a glamorous, exciting image.

* More and more people both men and women are playing the game professionally. The success of online players has created some powerful role models.

* The web creates a safe environment. Logging on to a poker website is nowhere near as intimidating as walking into a male-dominated casino.

* Online poker caters for the novice player in a way that was not possible before the web. First, the anonymity means no-one has to worry about looking stupid. Second, there are extensive tips, articles and tutorials online that rapidly educate the novice player.

* Games can be played just for fun or for small stakes. One fear is getting into a game where the stakes are continually rising. But fixed cost games mean that if women want to bet, they know exactly how much they stand to win or lose.