No Limit: The Wild Rise & Spectacular Fall of the Online Poker Boom

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IN THE WILD WEST ERA OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB, FORTUNES WERE WON AND LOST ON THE TURN OF A CARD.

The 2000s poker boom transformed a fading American pastime into a worldwide cultural phenomenon. The invention of the “hole cam” turned televised poker into a thrilling spectator sport, while online poker allowed amateur players to drag in pots from the privacy of their homes. These amateurs soon flooded live tournaments, winning millions and becoming celebrities overnight.

But at the height of the celebration over poker’s stunning success, a formidable opponent was waiting to show its hand: the U.S. government. In just a few short years, the online poker industry would crumble under a wave of insider cheating scandals and brazen bank fraud, culminating in the federal crackdown known as Black Friday.

No Limit is the first definitive history of the rise and fall of the online poker boom. Inside, you’ll discover:

  • The Spark: The origins of televised and online poker, and a gutsy amateur’s 2003 World Series of Poker win that ignited the poker boom.
  • The Sabotage: The midnight legislative maneuver that crippled the online poker industry overnight.
  • The Betrayal: The insider cheating scandals at UltimateBet and Absolute Poker that shattered player trust.
  • The Fraud: The illicit payment processing schemes that brought down the world’s largest online poker sites.
  • The Reckoning: The aftermath of Black Friday and the uphill battle to legalize online poker in the U.S.

Whether you experienced the poker boom firsthand or are discovering its history for the first time, No Limit offers a detailed and nostalgic look at an unprecedented era in Internet culture — featuring stories appearing in print for the first time.

312 pages

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