VCR and Poker

My Dad bought a new VCR instead of waiting for me to come back with an extra I have around here.

Maybe I should have gone to Las Vegas and played poker. An internet amateur started with $40 and ended up with $2.5 million in the World Series of Poker Championship.

From the Houston Chronicle, registration required -

In his first "live" poker tournament, Moneymaker beat a handful of former World Series of Poker champs, including Dan Harrington, who was at the final table and finished third with $650,000.

The tournament began Monday with a record-breaking 839 players. A surge in online gambling and a rise in the game's popularity drew dozens of unknowns and a 33 percent increase in attendance over 2002.

"This is the sonic boom of poker," said Nolan Dalla, media director for the World Series of Poker. "This means anyone in their home can become a poker player."

Moneymaker, a father of a 3-month-old girl, was among 37 players sent to the tournament after paying $40 and qualifying at PokerStars.com.

Dan Goldman, vice president of marketing for PokerStars.com, credited Moneymaker's win to his natural card sense and the experience he gained while playing online.

"We've proven that people who play on the Internet are just as good as those who play in casinos," Goldman said.