Online Poker Takes Five: Happy Birthday, Planet Poker!

In a game as old and storied as poker, there are few events that can accurately be described as epoch-making. In the last 50 years there have been a few, such as the launch of the World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas in 1970, and with it, the predominance of Texas hold'em as the premier game. Another, and arguably most influential, development is the most recent of all: the rise of online poker cardrooms as a venue for serious play. It is amazing to think that this phenomenon is only in its sixth year. In August 1997, www.PlanetPoker.com opened its virtual doors with Texas hold'em for play money, and in January 1998, it ushered in a new era of competitive poker and started offering real-money games.

"In the beginning, everything was even money." - Mike Caro

To be sure, the beginnings of online poker were modest ones. There were obstacles that had to be overcome. Trust was a big one. How could you be sure that the game was fair if you couldn't see the deck of cards being dealt and wave down the cardroom manager? Realism was another. How could you bluff, or call a bluff, if you couldn't look the other fellow in the eye? Realism turned out to be a relative thing: Yes, you couldn't play with gestures, or interpret your opponent's gestures, in a virtual cardroom, but you could focus on the play of hands without the distraction of personal dress and behavior, including that most distracting of all behaviors, cigarette smoking. What online poker brought was not an unrealistic game, but a new style of realistic game. No, you can't look people in the eye, but you can still read their minds and mannerisms. And, the game is dealt in traditional style. Planet Poker laid the trust issue to rest by dealing impeccably with its customers. Hands were examined, cheats were barred from the game, and players were reimbursed for legitimate grievances. Like any cardroom, online poker rooms gained their players' trust through fair and honest dealing.

"We all were skeptical at first … " - Roy Cooke

The biggest obstacle, it turned out, was getting the games going at all. It's no good building an online cardroom and hoping people will come to play. You have to get the word out, and Planet Poker was very innovative in that regard. First, it ran some clever quarter-page ads in Card Player and elsewhere, extolling the virtues of online poker. "Play in your pajamas, play at 2 a.m., play even if you can't make the regular game," the ads said. The pitch was a good one, and the players began to arrive. "We all were skeptical at first, but the proof was all around us. Poker was actually being played remotely. With a click of a button, you could raise a lady in London clear out of her seat! And it was working!" said Roy Cooke.

Planet Poker raised the stakes by inviting first Mike Caro and then Roy Cooke to take a look at its cardroom and give it the thumbs up, or not, as they saw fit. The rest was history. Mike and Roy did indeed like what they saw. Before long, the "Mad Genius of Poker" was inviting players to "come to my planet," and they did. The endorsement of Caro lent legitimacy, and also a seriousness, to online poker, and to Planet Poker in particular, that could not have been gained in any other way. If Caro, founder of the Mike Caro University of Poker and a consultant to real-world cardrooms across America, was willing to put his reputation behind Planet Poker, it must have been safe for players to put their chips in play, and it was. Cooke added another level of trust when he joined the Planet Poker team as cardroom manager, examining hands and responding personally to player queries. Before long, hundreds of players at a time were playing in Planet Poker's virtual cardroom, and the Internet poker revolution had begun in earnest.

"Online poker isn't just another form of poker. It is poker." - Mike Caro

Since then, Planet Poker has responded to the suggestions and requests of poker players from around the globe by adding new games and variants, increasing the selection of limits from nickel games to $20-$40, hosting multitable tournaments, and, most recently, refreshing its cardroom with new high-resolution graphics. An extensive website was developed, playing exclusive online host to the Mike Caro University of Poker, and providing free audio/video tips, e-books, Cooke's Corner, and much more. Along with the software, new hardware and leading-edge security systems were put in place, enhancing players' safety.

Planet Poker continues to innovate and improve, building on its reputation as the first cardroom on the Internet. New promotions were launched in 2002, including bad-beat jackpots that have reached $100,000, player referral bonuses, a lucrative affiliate program, and a frequent-player program called Planet Points, in which players can redeem their points for buy-ins to exclusive tournaments with cash prizes or exchange them for merchandise in the Planet Store. At the pinnacle of this evolution was an unprecedented series of tournaments held in January 2003, as Planet celebrated its fifth anniversary with $200,000 in prize money. With this kind of money at stake, online poker has truly arrived.

So, "Happy Birthday, Planet Poker," and here's to the next five years of serious fun!