This period was called the poker boom, and it paved the way for the vibrant online poker industry we see today. The game grew in popularity and at the same time, a new generation of fans began to revisit Rounders. Moneymaker managed to qualify for the WSOP online, which led to a boom in players turning to their computers looking to emulate his success. Even with him in the cast, it took time to ferment in the minds of poker fans but began to gain traction five years later, thanks to Chris Moneymaker’s win at the World Series of Poker in 2003. It might have slipped into obscurity, were it not for the fact it starred Matt Damon. In 1998, a little-known film called Rounders was released, and it was not a huge hit at the box office. It took one period of time, the poker boom at the start of this century, to push the game into pop culture. Poker was usually seen in Westerns, such as Trinity Is Still My Name, released in 1971, but was not often a feature in big releases.
Poker might seem like it has been a mainstay of films for many years, but in truth, it has only recently become a popular and widespread plot device.įor instance, it is easy to associate Casino Royale with poker, but the original film, released in 1967, featured baccarat rather than poker.
