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New, Younger Fans Revive the Old Riverboat Gambling Game of Poker

"...The Pembroke Pines 20-year-old has been playing poker for three years. He figures he plays every day: online, with friends or at the Hard Rock.

"And like thousands of other twentysomethings, Gabner is a poker convert.

"...Until a few years ago, poker was a game played by seniors, most of them men.

"Not any more.

"Poker is hot. The Seminole Hard Rock Casino opened just five months ago but is already expanding its poker room from 40 to 48 tables, to accommodate about 430 players. That should ease the hourlong waits on weekend nights, when this new breed of younger players is most likely to play.

"There's also been an explosion online as well, with more than 200 poker sites now up and running, according to pokerpulse.com, which tracks online wagers. One day last week, the site noted that more than $119 million had been wagered in the previous 24 hours. Six years ago, online poker didn't even exist.

"...Blame the resurgence on something called the lipstick camera, a tiny gadget that allowed the game to be televised. The cameras reveal the cards players hold. The technology debuted in March 2003 when the Travel Channel first began televising poker..."

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