1999 saw predictions of worldwide computer crash and calamity, as software was thought to be unstable, not recognizing the calendar change from 1999 to 20– in the billions of computer codes around the globe. As you all recall, absolutely nothing happened, and there was virtually no change in our lifestyle or on the internet as a result of 1999 becoming the year 2000. But what was happening was a massive change in the outlook of thousands of young male college students, who were anxious to cash in on the exploding online poker scene. Many college attendees quickly became college dropouts as their get-rich-quick mentality began to pay off. ‘Ship It Holla Ballas’ is a new book that describes the rise and fall of one of the youngest and most successful crews in online poker history.

Rafael Nadal is inarguably one of the greatest male tennis players of the past few years. The Spanish tennis legend and heartthrob has earned more than $50 million in career tennis earnings, not to mention much more than that through his many endorsements. You may recall that we reported in June of last year in this column that Nadal had joined forces with PokerStars as one of their high profile celebrities, and he even kept an online diary of his poker education and progress. Proof of his poker growth came quickly, during Nadal’s impressive run at the Spanish Championship of Online Poker (ESCOOP) €200 main event, before his A-K was out-flopped by an opponent’s pocket Jacks.

Many casual online poker players have for years now expressed the feeling that they are playing with a built-in deficit. To give every player more tools at their disposal to help them win, many online casinos offer software which keeps statistics and profiles of your competition, such as their betting tendencies, their win percentage, and deposit frequency. While this may sound like a great thing, the average player who just wants to log on at the end of a stressful day and enjoy some online poker is placed at a disadvantage. Tracking tools, data miners and stats trackers are employed by serious online poker players, and make it harder for the casual player to finish a session in the black.

Obviously, Daniel Negreanu will have different goals for his internet and real world poker efforts in the new year than you or I will. His almost uncanny ability to read his opponents cards have paid off for some big wins online in 2012. But it is important to write down your goals and check them frequently if you are going to achieve them, however large or small they may be. Negreanu recently posted on one of his poker blogs his goals for 2013. Let’s take a look at his goals for the new year to give you some ideas about setting your own. 

Entering 2012 as one of the most underrated and under the radar online poker players, high-stakes player Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky will probably never be able to sneak onto a virtual table without getting noticed again. The young American dominated PokerStars online poker play in 2012, exploding for over $3.5 million in profit to lead all the high stakes charts at that online poker room. Many of the big names usually seen at the top of the profits leader board at the end of the year had difficult seasons, one notable professional being Gus Hansen.