Poker has around for approximately 200 years but the online version of the so-called gambling sport is just a new phenomenon. The popularity of online poker has rocketed in the past few years, and it has given a new perception is played worldwide.

However, online poker was not the first type of gambling that reached the Internet, as online sportsbooks sprouted during the mid-90s. Online casinos also emerged during period. A good example is Microgaming, which came up in 1994 and is now a well-known casino software developer.

Planet Poker was the first online poker gambling room entering the scene in 1998. The site operated, as the only online poker company for some time. After a few years a number of new and bigger online poker sites arrived also carrying an initial rake structure of 5% and a max rate of as much as $3. The online poker industry actually became noticed in 1998 but the rate structure has stayed pretty much the same.

Paradise Poker, which is the current industry leader, was established in 1999. During the same period Poker Spot founded by Dutch Boyd entered the scene.

Poker Spot was the first ever to run online poker tournaments but the company encountered problems afterwards. Poker Spot failed to collect player deposits from its affiliate credit card group. The problem resulted in the company not paying the winnings of its players, as all of the money deposited failed to enter the system. Poker Spot collapsed because of the quandary.

Cases similar to the controversy in Poker Spot has yet to be replicated in other online poker gambling companies mainly due to the development of Neteller’s e-cash system. Neteller today stands as the top funds transfer service for the online poker sector. The Neteller system enables players to not anymore use a credit card or a wire transfer service to deposit money at a poker room. Online poker companies have been able to minimize fraud because of their use of Neteller’s service.

The year 2001 was a crucial year for online poker gambling, as the industry saw the arrival of the two biggest firms, Poker Stars and Party Poker. Paradise was the dominant group until 2003, when Party Poker started to advertise on television. The successful marketing of its World Poker Tour and Party Poker Million initiatives fueled Party’s emergence.

The popularity of online poker also received a boost from the amazing story of Chris Moneymaker.

Mr Moneymaker paid a $40 fee to enter the World Series of Poker and he qualified for the main event after winning a satellite tournament at Poker Stars. Mr Moneymaker bested 839 other contestants to win what was believed to be the biggest staged World Series of Poker tournament and came home with the top prize of $2.5 million.

In 2003, online poker gambling became more accessible, especially to beginners, with the launch of www.pokertips.org. Mr Moneymaker’s Cinderella story and the sport’s growing popularity resulted in the game reaching new heights in 2004. Revenues of companies soared and new online gambling companies arrived such as Noble Poker and Full Tilt Poker.

The growth of the industry became evident when Paradise Poker was purchased by listed sportsbook, Sportingbet. Other online poker companies are also considering going public and raise new capital to help fund expansion.

Online poker is now slowly becoming a global phenomenon, as the UK recently approved a legislation that includes the sanctioning and regulating of online gambling companies.

In addition, poker tutorial sites have arrived to help new players develop their skills. Some of the recommended books about online poker gambling are Holdem Poker for Advanced Players by Sklansky and Malmuth Super System by Doyle Brunson, Texas Holdem by Ken Warren and Killer Poker by John Vorhaus. Learning basic skills and poker theory from the experts is an advisable way to get started in the sport.