Online poker has been hailed in recent years by international poker superstars like Dan Bilzerian as one of the largest contributing factors to the growth of professional poker. He was noted on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast where he talked about the advantages that professional poker players have with the new online poker software. He talked about the fact that players could see maybe 20-30 hands in a day at brick and mortar casinos while playing online offered much more. Players playing online could play multiple hands at multiple tables and see anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 hands a day depending on the size and quantity of their computer monitors.
That type of experience is surely a significant factor in the competitive realm of online poker. Online gambling options offered through legally sanctioned destinations can provide you limitless practice opportunities to develop your skills and fine tune your own playing strategy. Online poker can also deliver entrance to prestigious live tournaments at world class casinos and poker rooms through their various satellite events and qualifiers.
A New Jersey native won his seat at the 48th Annual World Series of Poker via playing in online poker rooms. The first timer made it to the final table in Las Vegas and was one of the chip leaders from a pool of players that started at over 7,200 in numbers. Scott Blumstein, from Morristown, New Jersey, later went on to win the 2017 World Series of Poker taking home $8.15 million dollars in winnings. He credits his inspiration to play competitive poker to another player that found his way to the competitive ranks via online poker, Chris Moneymaker.
Chris Moneymaker qualified for the World Series of Poker in 2003 through playing at legitimately licensed and regulated offshore poker sites. He was the first player to win the World Series of Poker through such an introduction to the competition and acts as inspiration for thousands of competitive poker players worldwide. He also provided a level of legitimacy to the online poker industry through is accomplishments at the WSOP.
Another one of those players that Moneymaker inspired is Byron Ziebell. Byron has been playing professional poker since 2011 and has been able to quit the job he hated as an accountant to play full time. He added to his lifetime poker winnings by winning $19,547 dollars in the WSOP circuit tournament near his home town of Hales Corners, Wisconsin. He later added even more at the WSOP main event by winning $6,855 in the first day of the tournament and $17,243 in the main event on the second day. He still remembers seeing Chris Moneymaker, who was also an accountant, win a seat at the main event through an $86 dollars online tournament when he beat the big name at the event, Phil Ivey and won his first bracelet.