Record year for poker
Poker had its biggest year in 2005 and last month was the best February ever recorded, according to figures by PokerPages.com.
Poker buy-ins hit a record high of over $376 million in 2005, while the beginning of this year continued in the same vein, with January buy-ins up 36 per cent on a year earlier at $38 million.
And February’s buy-ins reached $25.8 million, the best of its month ever recorded.
PokerPages.com founder Mark Napolitano commented: “There have been whispers among some within the industry who wondered if poker could continue to grow in 2006.
“But, so far, 2006 has started out to be the strongest year ever in Poker, breaking records in all three PokerPages.com Industry Index (PPII) categories.”
Player entries grew by 30 per cent last year and continued to grow last month to become the all-time best February to date.
The month saw over 17,750 players enter into live tournaments. The Entrants index sits at 117, this down from January’s index of 130. Overall, the year-to-date Entrants index sits at 125.
The average buy-in per entry continues to creep up in February with an average of $1,451, another record high for the month.