A game that, as we all know, ordinarily takes years of practice and experience to master is now being tackled by a younger generation using their familiarity with the internet to gain experience that would otherwise take a decade or more to achieve. As a result, participants at poker tournaments are younger and younger and while it’s far too early to say they’re dominating the field, they have been showing great signs of success and promise and certainly added some flavor to the game.

‘Young Guns’ such as Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, and David Williams have put aside other career opportunities and/or higher education to focus strictly on poker. While this is not at all an idea that everyone should try, and in no way should this necessarily be encouraged (for every young player that ‘makes it’, there are a host of others who do not), for these younger players mentioned above, their gamble has paid off and they’re now regulars at tournaments across the country, bring in sizable winnings, and even have sponsorships.

Young, occasionally brash, and incredibly skillful, these younger players are becoming the face of poker in many ways and certainly adding to its popularity. They serve as inspiration to other newcomers trying to make it professionally but also make the game more enjoyable to watch for spectators who’ve caught-on to the craze. Their careers will be interesting to watch and with more and more players signing-up to play each day (some estimate that 60% of those players entering online rooms are below the age of 26) we can only wait and see who will be the ‘Young Star’ to emerge and challenge the Big Boys at some at the most prestigious tournaments in the world.