The New Card Shark

An article in the Technology section of today's New York Times covers the rise of poker players like Chris Moneymaker, schooled in online poker sites:

While the Las Vegas hype machine focused on the rags-to-riches tale of a man who parlayed a $40 entrance fee into a huge pot, many poker players recognized that the amateur's success signaled the arrival of a new age in the game. Mr. Moneymaker may never have been in the same room as other players in a tournament of Texas Hold'em poker, but he had played extensively online, where the game is faster but the money is just as real. He was as much a rookie as Ichiro Suzuki, who joined the Seattle Mariners after nine years in the Japanese major leagues.

The article also features a way cool picture of Darse Billings, one of the creators of Loki, the University of Alberta's poker-playing bot.