Call it the Moneymaker Effect

03.06.2004, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Call it the Moneymaker Effect».

For the second consecutive year, an Internet unknown won the famed World Series of Poker on Friday, ravaging a field of professional players on his way to glory and riches. Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, a patent lawyer from Stonington, Conn., earned a spot in the 35th annual No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em event after winning a $150 satellite tournament on PokerStars.com. The victory would have been astonishing had it not been for Chris Moneymaker's first-place finish in 2003. The 28-year-old accountant's improbable victory rocked the poker world, ushering in an era in which a "nobody" could topple the feared pros. Moneymaker landed a seat in last year's finals after winning a $40 Internet tournament. His tiny investment earned him $2.5 million, while Raymer pocketed a record $5 million this year.

"I played the best poker of my life, and I got as lucky as I've ever gotten in my life for such a sustained period of time," said Raymer, whose nickname comes from his hobby of collecting fossils. "I was able to advance past a lot of great, great players."

Whatever advantage the pros once held over the amateurs seems to have dissipated, experts say. The Internet has leveled a playing field once ruled by the game's old guard. "Players can get a huge amount of experience in a short time playing online and can translate that into success in major tournaments," said Dan Goldman, vice president of marketing for PokerStars.com.

Raymer, 39, wasn't the only Internet player to land at Friday's nine-person table, which was the dramatic finale to a grueling, seven-day tournament at Binion's Horseshoe Hotel & Casino. PokerStars.com also sent David Anthony Williams, 23, Matt Dean, 25, and Mike McClain, a 39-year-old pro. They finished second, seventh and ninth, respectively.

In all, about 40 percent of the 2,576 people who made it to the final tournament came from the Internet, Goldman said. Competitors who didn't win an Internet or casino satellite tournament put up a $10,000 buy-in fee.

Gerry Drehobl, 49, a self-employed aviation and maintenance consultant in Spokane, reached the second day of the championship round before running out of money Monday. He lost his $10,000 entry stake, but that was a fraction of the $365,000 he won in April in an earlier session of the WSOP.

John Vorhaus, who writes for UltimateBet.com and is the author of "Killer Poker," a book on game strategies, said this year's victory proves the Internet winner is no fluke. "I think 2004 will be a watershed year in the way the Internet player is viewed," Vorhaus said. "The evidence is overwhelming. These guys got game."

Link to Gambling in Las Vegas 47584

Über Glücksspiele Las Vegas - Gambling in Las Vegas:

Las Vegas liegt im Westen der USA im Bundesstaat Nevada und ist das Glücksspiel-Paradies von Amerika.

Las Vegas hat rund 100 Spielcasinos. Im Bundesstaat Nevada sind sogar über 300 Spielcasinos registriert. Die grössten Casinos sind das Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Venetian / Palazzo, Wynn / Encore, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay.

Weitere bekannte Casinos sind das Mirage, frühere Heimat von Siegfried und Roy, das Luxor in Form einer Pyramide oder das Casino Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, in welchem jährlich die Pokerweltmeisterschaft (World Series of Poker WSOP) durchgeführt wird.

Die bekanntesten zwei Strassen sind der Las Vegas Boulevard, welcher auch als Las Vegas Strip bezeichnet wird. Daneben ist die Fremont Street eine gut besuchte Casino-Meile, wo beispielsweise das legendäre Casino Binion's (vormals Binion's Horseshoe) seine Spiele anbietet.

Las Vegas erstreckt sich über eine Fläche von 340 km2 und hat rund 650'000 Einwohner.

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