{"id":53889,"date":"2021-11-10T17:57:52","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T17:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/?p=53889"},"modified":"2021-11-10T18:00:12","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T18:00:12","slug":"20-for-20-part-1-a-complete-look-at-key-moments-events-in-pokerstars-20-year-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/20-for-20-part-1-a-complete-look-at-key-moments-events-in-pokerstars-20-year-history\/","title":{"rendered":"20 for 20, Part 1: A Complete Look at Key Moments & Events in PokerStars’ 20-Year History\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

PokerStars<\/strong><\/a> is launching the special Big 20 Rewind<\/strong><\/a> series on Sunday to celebrate the site\u2019s 20th anniversary<\/strong>. The series features events honoring some of the biggest moments in the site\u2019s history as well as some huge prizes.<\/span><\/p>\n

PokerStars remains a titan in the online poker industry and players continue flocking to the site. With the Big 20 kicking off on Sunday, PokerScout<\/em> takes a look at 20 of PokerStars\u2019 biggest moments. (Look for Part 2 on Friday<\/em>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

1 \u2013 PokerStars debuts, changes face of online poker industry<\/span><\/h2>\n

Online poker debuted in the early \u201890s as a free-to-play game. Planet Poker<\/strong> became the first real money site in 1998<\/strong>, but struggled with technical issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Isai Scheinberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PokerStars was the brainchild of former IBM Canada<\/a> programmer Isai Scheinberg<\/strong>. A poker player himself, he envisioned a platform more appealing to players. He brought the programming skills to make that happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

The site first launched in beta form on Sept. 11, 2001, before beginning with real money poker on Dec. 13, 2001. The first event was a $11 Limit Hold\u2019em tournament with a $500 guarantee.<\/span><\/p>\n

That event gave the site a nice start, producing 100 entries for a $1,000 prize pool. A player named \u201coscar<\/strong>\u201d became the site\u2019s first winner.<\/span><\/p>\n

What kind of tournaments were available? Even in those early days the platform gave players several options. Beginning in December 2001, the site ran Hold’em<\/strong><\/a>, Omaha<\/a> Hi\/Lo, and Stud games with stakes from $0.10\/$0.25 to $1\/$2,<\/span><\/p>\n

Players instantly loved the software\u2019s ease of use and functionality. Stars went on to become the largest poker site in the world. Shceinberg sold his share in the company in 2014 for $4.9 billion<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

2 \u2013 Chris Moneymaker wins the World Series of Poker Main Event<\/span><\/h2>\n

The company\u2019s biggest shot in the arm came in 2003. With televised poker booming after the World Poker Tour\u2019s<\/strong> debut, Chris Moneymaker turned an $86 satellite into a World Series of Poker<\/strong><\/a> Main Event title.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Moneymaker win had it all: a perfect surname, ESPN<\/strong> showing the hole cards, big bluffs, and huge money. The event helped usher in poker to the mainstream and helped kickstart the poker boom<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The story also brought massive attention to PokerStars, with players around the world taking note. The notoriety from Moneymaker\u2019s everyman win sent players around the world to the site hoping for their own success story.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame<\/strong> in 2019 and remained a Team PokerStars member until the end of 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

2020 has been a year. Sad news. Thanks for everything \u2066@PokerStars<\/a>\u2069 pic.twitter.com\/tT1rZ12QGr<\/a><\/p>\n

— Chris Moneymaker \u2b55 (@CMONEYMAKER) December 31, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n