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Hundreds of the world’s best poker players partied at a beachfront Radisson resort in Aruba on Sep 30th until they learned about the approval of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

At the Aruba tournament, the UltimateBet Aruba Classic, some 80 percent of the 512 participants qualified online. Devon Miller, 21, won the $744,960 championship check.

Michael Martin, a Penn State senior who’d participated during the summer in the World Series of Poker, began playing poker 2-1/2 years ago. “I saw money,” he said. “I noticed that the good players were winning and the bad ones were losing. So I dedicated himself to becoming a good one”.

For Martin playing online poker meant a house in Las Vegas a seat in the World Series of Poker and a $42,882 payout at the no-limit Hold-’em championship. Back at school Martin plays every day without risking more than 5 percent of his bankroll and he’s netted six figures since he started. Is online poker that bad?