Poker fever has hit the masses. Television coverage of big money tournaments, like the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker, has generated worldwide interest in the game of poker and in Texas Holdem in particular.

When the Travel Channel began televising the World Poker Tour in March of 2003, it quickly became the highest rated show on the network. That same year, ESPNs extensive coverage of the WSOP No-Limit Texas Holdem main event also received excellent ratings.

Television viewers got to see something special at the 2003 WSOP main event. Chris Moneymaker, an online qualifier who earned a spot by winning a $39 online satellite tournament, outlasted more than 800 other players and took home $2.5 million.

After this well-publicized victory, the online poker world was flooded with a sea of Texas Holdem hopefuls. Everybody wanted to get in on the action. The Moneymaker effect grabbed hold of every person who had even the remotest interest in Texas Holdem and it brought a whole bunch a people to the table for the first time. All of the sudden, it seemed as if every online player thought they were one satellite tournament victory away from being a multi-million dollar poker hero.

Lighting struck twice in 2004, when Greg Fossilman Raymer, another online qualifier, took out a field of over 2,500 poker players to win the 2004 WSOP main event. His prize was $5 million. His victory confirmed that the sudden and explosive surge of poker fever was a trend, not and an anomaly. The traffic in online poker rooms continued to skyrocket. More and more professional pokers players began to endorse online poker sites.

Its not too hard to understand why online Texas Holdem poker is so appealing to so many people. Poker is a game you can master with practice. You cant expect to win a WSOP bracelet overnight. Experience is the only way to gain comfort and confidence with yourself, your skills and your specific poker strategy.

Online Texas Holdem is good-time recreation. This is the 21st century and people need interactive entertainment delivered straight to their homes. Online Holdem is game you can play with people all over the world. You run into different types of players and pot situations and your experiences help you buildup your skills.

Online Texas Holdem is a great outlet for those who love competition. Poker is a game of perception and for people who thrive on head-to-head contests, theres no better battle than a game of Holdem.

Online Texas Holdem is booming because the media, the telecommunications industry, savvy entrepreneurs and the general public got together and decided it was time for online gambling to be taken seriously. TV coverage of high-stakes tourneys made casual players salivate at the chance to win millions and poker quickly became the fastest growing segment of the online gambling industry. Whether your goal is to practice, win small, or go big, online Texas Holdem is an entertaining option that will only continue to expand in popularity.