Excerpt from Mancave Playbabes:

Gamblers who prefer their couch and silence over cigar smoke and human interaction have a reason to smile.  A deal has been made between the major online poker companies and the Department of Justice.  It appears PokerStars.com, will purchase its former rival, Full Tilt, and pay the U.S. Government 547 million dollars to settle a civil lawsuit.  Some of this money will be given to the players who had their accounts frozen April 15, 2011, also known as, “Black Friday.”  The settlement insinuates online poker is coming back to the U.S.

What does this mean for poker?  What had become an obsession of many and taken mainstream via television (ESPN, celebrity poker games, etc…) in recent years has dipped in popularity.  Was this because of the online crackdown, or has the window closed?  What we do know (based on reports) is that the online players did not get in their cars or catch a bus to the nearest casino.  What were they doing?  Watching re-runs of Growing Pains?  Gulp…reading? Maybe they’ve just been patiently waiting.  Let’s take a look at a few reasons why online poker wasn’t replaced and why this recent news will bring back poker to the mainstream.

Read the Full Column at Mancave Playbabes

David S. Grant is the author of "Blood: The New Red", follow on Twitter .david_s_grant