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Online Poker in 2009 - The Biggest Stories Revisited
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Author: Marc W
January 2 - When I look back at online poker in 2009 I need to remind myself, old cynic that I am, that for many this pastime / hobby / career is still new to some people and remains a growth industry. In fact online poker grew by 30% last year despite the scandals that seem to surround online poker websites with disturbing regularity.
The year will definitely be remembered for the incredible stakes played for at the highest level by guys who until relatively recently no one had heard of: Tom Dwan, Isildur1 (an anonymous Swedish player), and Brian Hastings. Isildur1 burst on to the online poker scene when he pummeled Dwan out of $5,500,000 in the space of a few weeks. He then went on to lose $7,000,000 to Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, Brian Hastings, and Brian Townsend.
For the year Patrik Antonius once again emerged as the best cash game player in the world. He won $9,000,000 overall online in 2009. Ivey, who is his only competition in this category, won $6,000,000, and lost his wife, and made it to the final table of the World Series Main Event - so definitely a banner year for the Tiger Woods of poker (that now sounds libelous).
Online poker enables vast sums of money to change hands at rapid speed. If you had told poker pros ten years ago that a guy from Sweden that no one has ever heard of would lose $4.2 million in one session to a 21-year old kid (Brian Hastings who plays as Stinger88) who data mined his hands prior to playing him, they probably would have said "You lost me at Sweden". But online poker is now a global and youthful pursuit, enjoyed by millions, and profitable for the select few who own and operate the poker websites.
Finally our congratulations go out to Jeff Lisandro, the likeable Aussie pro, who proved that sometimes there is more to poker than luck and collusion. He won three WSOP bracelets in 2009, all at variations of stud poker, proving without a doubt that he is the best in the world at this format.
When you play online poker in 2010 remember the words of one of my rustic friends from Ohio, who removed the chew from his mouth to tell me "You don't have to be good. You just have to be lucky." Wise words indeed.
Related Poker Articles And News Items:
> Full Tilt Poker Investigated by US Authorities
> Berlin EPT Robbery Makes Online Poker Look Safe
> PKR Poker Wins Top Industry Award
> High Stakes Online Poker Tables Recording Massive Swings
> Joe Cada Wins 2009 World Series of Poker
> Full Tilt Bots Allegedly Running Rampant
> 888 Signs Lucrative Poker Deal with Harrahs
> Full Tilt Hosts Interesting New Promotion
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