[Nietzsche]

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I should imagine that the TV coverage will increase to a semi-global level over the next few years. Poker has been cleverly repackaged as an "entertainment sport", and there is no good reasons why we wont see an increasing number of broadcasts in non-US countries.

The beauty of poker is that it is an "everymans" game, and that the media coverage therefore translates directly into raw volume of players. Furthermore, the introduction of internet poker has complemented the media coverage perfectly, in that we can all now play this televised, celebrity game in the comfort of our own homes.

I would think that the peak will maintain or grow for the next few years. After this a tail-off will occur, but I should imagine it will be long and slow, and will actually flatten off at a far higher number of players than before the internet poker boom.

The biggest dangers are:

A) US legislation against online gambling
B) Bots getting a (temporary) upper hand in the arms race against bot-prevention systems. The bad publicity will probably be more damaging long-term than the bots themselves.

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I think you are spot on here.