The Internet and Smart Phones

In this blog we will cover how the poker landscape changed forever with the internet and smart phones.  

The Internet
Free online poker started in the late 1990s.  Planet Poker was the first online card room with real money games. 
 
Over time, access and ease of use websites increased.  People came in droves to learn about this fascinating game and what the excitement was all about.  Free access to virtual games and free trials brought in even more players. 
 
Today, a huge number of players invest hundreds (sometimes thousands) of hours playing per year.  Many play multiple tables at once. 

Beyond gaming websites there are an amazing number of useful resources on the web such as:
 

• Poker Websites
• Poker Podcasts
• Poker Blogs
• Poker Magazines
• Poker Training sites
• Poker Stars Websites
• Social Media

Smart Phones
In recent years smart phones are another major portal to poker websites, podcasts, blogs, magazines, training sites and social media.  And, there are some incredible apps such as the WSOP App, the Poker Heat App and the PokerCruncher App.

The Poker Landscape
The internet has changed the poker landscape forever.  All these portals mean that people can get huge amounts of poker experience and knowledge in a much shorter time than in the past.  Even though it isn’t face to face, the learning curve has been slashed dramatically.

In the next Blog we will cover the fascinating story of the Chris Moneymaker effect and how massive number of players emerged because of this Rocky type story. 

Stay tuned!

Chuck