The horde of young aggressive Internet poker players continues to throw the game’s biggest venue (the annual World Series of Poker) – as well as the worldwide pastime itself – into chaos and no group has had to adapt more to this than the established professionals. Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson (2000 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion, winner of five bracelets, 60 cashes and 30 final table finishes) is one of them.

“The players are getting better and better so you just have to step up your game a little bit,” Ferguson said. “You see a new player these days and you assume that he is really good. In the old days you kind of assumed he did not know what he was doing because if he did you would have seen him.”

The anonymity offered through Internet play is one plus younger poker aficionados have in their arsenal.

“Nowadays, since they are playing on the Internet, maybe it is a guy you have played against on the Internet and you just don’t know anymore,” Ferguson said.

In addition, many of today’s young poker gunslingers are immune to being overwhelmed by history or living legends.

“In the old days you used it to intimidate people but it is a little bit harder to intimidate people in the world championships these days but that’s okay,” Ferguson said.

The Internet gold rush and the game’s popularity had their inception back in 2003 when amateur Chris Moneymaker won the main event by besting a field of 839 and pocketing $2.5 million. Moneymaker’s story immediately became legend when everyone found out he first won his $10,000 buy-in for the main event through a $40 Internet qualifier. Since Moneymaker’s Cinderella run in 2003, entrants for the main event increased to 2,576 in 2004, 5,619 in 2005, peaked at 8,773 in 2006, dropped to 6,358 in 2007, went up to 6,844 in 2008 and dipped to 6,494 in 2009.

Peter Eastgate’ capture of the 2008 main event title earned him $9.1 million and the ‘youngest winner in WSOP history’ credential at age 21; a title previously held by Phil Hellmuth who won the main event in 1989. Eastgate, however, would only be the youngest ever winner for a year as Joseph Cada took down the main event (also at age 21) last November banking $8.5 million.

The consistently large influx of players to poker’s Super Bowl has definitely put the Pre-Internet pros on their toes.

“We’re not dealing with them very well, it’s really tough,” Phil Gordon said. “The kids that have grown up playing on the Internet are much better players, in my opinion, then the old established pro network. We are doing our best to try and get lucky here and there and they are amazing players.”

Gordon added that the younger generation’s more assertive style has forced older players to let it ride more often than they usually would.

“They are playing a much more aggressive style then we have ever been used to and it just seems to get more and more aggressive every year,” Gordon said. “You have to pick your spots and gamble a little. They are forcing you to gamble where ten years ago when you were playing poker, it never seemed like you had to gamble.”

Gone are the days when lesser experienced players yielded to more reputable ones.

“It just seemed so easy back then, you raised and everyone folded or you bet and everyone folded,” Gordon said. “Now it’s tough, you really have to have a hand or make a great read because they are going to put constant pressure on you and force you to make decisions.”