Party Poker has been one of the online poker movement’s most steadfast proponents. With its million dollar tournaments and luxury poker cruises, Party Poker has become a mandatory stop on the Internet for the online poker player.

Lately though, it seems that other online poker sites and online poker rooms have been giving Party Poker a run for its money.

Huge deposit bonuses, frequent $35,000 to $100,000 online tournaments, and freerolls are just some of the offers being made by competing sites. Call it face-to-face counter marketing.

Whatever it is, it is working. A number of online poker rooms and sites have been slowly, yet consistently, taking a bite out of some of Party Poker’s Internet player share.

In a market niche where prize money, easy-to-use software, and word-of-mouth is everything, the race to recruit new online poker players is clearly becoming more cluttered.

Although Party Poker is unquestionably at the head of the pack, it’s getting a lot more crowded. The choices that are available today are far more interesting than the ones that were available just a year ago.