Chris Moneymaker used to be an unknown accountant from Tennessee who, one day, decided to play poker online. Since he won the 2003 World Series of Poker and the $2.5 million prize, thousands of people around the world have turned to online poker rooms, in an attempt to imitate him.

“Right before Chris Moneymaker won the series we were going like this”, Dan Goldman, marketing director for an important poker site said, indicating a steady upward trend with his hand. “Then, all of a sudden we're going like this (shooting his hand straight up).”

Approximately, 15 million Americans play online poker and the popularity of the game has reached almost every corner of the world. Sweden, for example, has the highest number of online poker players per capita in the planet.

It is estimated that almost half the players in the WSOP Main Event won their $10,000 buy-in on an Internet poker site.