Since ESPN, Fox Sports, The Travel Channel, Bravo, and other cable broadcasters have been airing various poker tournaments in the last year, poker has sparked an unprecedented interest in millions of players, particularly online.  This has many veteran players absolutely thrilled because there is just so much weak competition out there in cyberspace.  

   In contrast it sometimes infuriates many good players  when they get beat by these inferior competitors. Newbie's can often catch cards here and there and wreak havoc on a professional player when their betting style is erratic and very unpredictable.  This will only hold up for a little while, and inevitably the new player will lose his stack after playing an uneducated style.  

  In a short ring game or a small tournament, rookie players stand a much better chance than in a game with a large amount of participants that gruel it out over a long period of time.   

  Thanks to the mega advertising blitz of Poker and the continual television coverage, new players are flocking to online sites in herds and winnings have never been easier for a skilled master, or even a part time player who knows the game. 

  The last two winners of the World Series of Poker  (Greg "Fossil man" Raymer, Chris Moneymaker) have been qualifiers from online satellite tournaments at Poker Stars.  Obviously anyone who survives this long in a poker match is doing more than just catching cards. Yes there is a large amount of luck involved, but mostly skill has brought a player into a final table of a large tournament.   

  In 2003 Chris Moneymaker, who was considered a relatively unknown player took the World Series of Poker by storm with a ferocious playing style that frustrated numerous veteran players.  Moneymaker's play was very hard to read when he bet hands that most would never think of betting.  Some would argue he played a few hands like a fool, but in the end all arguments against his play fall short considering he won the cash.  He was willing to gamble, and sometimes you have to say screw the odds and catch a card.  This happens in poker everyday, and it’s probably the hardest thing to defend against.