A Brief Chronology of Online Poker

January 1994
First IRC hold’em program is released

August 1995
Internet Casinos Inc. launches the world’s first online casino

August 1997
Planet Poker opens for play money games

January 1998
Planet Poker becomes the world’s first real money Internet poker cardroom

September 1999
Paradise Poker opens for real money games

November 1999
Planet Poker deals its 2nd millionth hand

February 2001
Paradise Poker deals its 50th millionth hand

July 2001
Pokerspot ceases running online games

August 2001
PartyPoker opens for real money games Paradise Poker deals its lOOth millionth hand

December 2001
PokerStars opens for real money games

March 2002
Final of the first PartyPoker.com Million

May 2002
Highlands Club ceases running online games

June 2002
Paradise Poker deals its 200th millionth hand

July 2002
PokerStars runs first World Championship of Online Poker

November 2002
PokerStars organises world’s first 1500-player online tournament

March 2003
World Poker Tour premieres on the Travel Channel. Debut series includes PartyPoker.com Million and UltimateBet Aruba Classic

May 2003
PokerStars satellite qualifier Chris Moneymaker wins World Series of Poker

June 2003
PartyPoker overtakes Paradise Poker to become the biggest online cardroom

October 2003
PokerStars announces that it is joining the World Poker Tour with its PokerStars Caribbean Adventure

January 2004
UltimateBet organises the first-ever million guaranteed online tournament

February 2004
PokerStars organises its one millionth tournament

May 2004
PokerStars satellite qualifier Greg Raymer defeats huge 2500+ field to win World Series of Poker

October 2004
Paradise Poker acquired by Sportingbet plc for around $300 million PokerStars sponsors first-ever European Poker Tour

June 2005
PartyGaming launches on London Stock Exchange with market value of over $8 billion

July 2005
World Series of Poker attracts over 5,500 players, 1,116 of whom qualified online at PokerStars alone. Joseph Hachem wins $7.5 million first prize.