THIS WEEK MARKS THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF MONEYMAKER

Five years ago this week, the poker world changed. Chris Moneymaker turned an online satellite and a dream into $2,500,000 and an industry was born. A lot has changed in five years. Online poker rooms that were market leaders at the time are now out of business, or nothing more than a name "imprint" that's part of a bigger network of poker sites. Other online poker sites-only just conceived when that 5a fell on the river, making Moneymaker a full house-have since launched, and are now market leaders. So, what can we look forward to for the tenth anniversary of Moneymaker's win? Will the merry-go-round ride of the last five years speed up, slow down, or stop completely? Take a moment today to think about how much your life has changed over the last five years. I'm sure Chris Moneymaker is out there somewhere thinking about how much his life has changed since that fateful day.

DOES POKER NEED MORE TESTOSTERONE?

The World Series of Poker has announced that they have signed an agreement with Gamma-O Plus Pomegranate, a drink with a natural additive in it that increases the production of testosterone in the body, as well as containing pomegranate juice, which reportedly lowers the body's chance of suffering prostate problems. The drink will be the "official testosterone booster" of the World Series of Poker. Look for more pre-flop re-raising and fewer trips to the bathroom at the Rio this summer.

IOWA CASINO TO LOWER POKER AGE MINIMUM FROM 21 TO 18

College-aged poker players in the Tama, Iowa vicinity may soon have a brand new option for playing poker. The Meshwaki Tribal Council, operators of the Meshwaki Casino and Hotel near Tama, has approved a plan to allow 18-years-olds to play poker at the site. An exact date has not yet been set, though tribal spokesman Larry Lasley Jr. has been quoted as saying the change can be made because poker is not a "house" game; rather, the players compete against each other. The Tama casino is also a popular Heartland Poker Tour venue.

POKERSTARS OPENS LIVE CARD ROOM IN MACAU

PokerStars has announced the opening of their first permanent, live poker room in Macau. The room, to be known as "PokerStars Macau," has 25 tables, and will be housed at the prestigious Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino, the same location that hosted the Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau event last year. The news is significant in that it's the first time this reporter is aware of that a poker-only facility opened under the banner of an online poker room. Look for more of this to occur in the future.

ANNIE DUKE AND DON CHEADLE RAISE ANOTHER $500,000 FOR AFRICA

A couple of years ago, Annie Duke and Don Cheadle decided to team up for a cause that meant a lot to them. This led to last July's inaugural Ante up for Africa poker tournament, where Annie and Don saw a good opportunity to raise money for a cause they believed in, with a partner (the WSOP) that they knew would help raise awareness. The pair hosted another Ante Up For Africa event this past week at the San Manuel Casino near Los Angeles, California, and thanks to a very generous donation from the casino itself, over $500,000 was raised for this very worthy cause. The next big event on the Ante Up For Africa calendar will be the organization's return to the WSOP this year on July 2nd. See you there.