The staple of any half decent Mafiosi movie is a good card game, so it’s pleasing to see that back in the ‘old country’, poker is starting to take off online as well as on TV.
Having opened only three months ago, Italy’s first official poker site has just passed the 1,000 subscriber mark – 90% of which are Italian. Then there’s the growth of American poker tournaments being broadcast on sports channels across the country, with World Poker Tour, World Series of Poker and the European Poker Tour all being aired. While Las Vegas is the adopted home of Italy’s best known players Max “Italian Pirate” Pescatori and Marco Traniello, Italy now boasts two bankable stars in the form of Luca 'Pretty Boy' Pagano and Robert 'Dartagnan' Binelli. Even so, the Azzuri still only have one WSOP bracelet holder: Walter Farina.
If this boom in poker in Italy continues, expect plenty of nationals heading to the WSOP and even more casual Mafiosi comparisons in the next few months.
The staple of any half decent Mafiosi movie is a good card game, so it’s pleasing to see that back in the ‘old country’, poker is starting to take off online as well as on TV.