ESPN commentator Lon McEachern has said that a Darvin Moon victory in the World Series of Poker would be great for the game.

Online poker could see its popularity skyrocket if unknown qualifier Darvin Moon pulls off an unlikely victory in the World Series of Poker (WSOP), an expert has said.

ESPN poker commentator Lon McEachern told Michigan Live that if current chip leader Moon, a logger from Maryland, makes it all the way through the final table, it could have a huge impact on the world of online gambling.

He compared it to the famous Chris Moneymaker performance in the 2003 WSOP, when the former accountant overcame all the odds to win the tournament.

Moneymaker was credited with the first real boom in online poker, while his success saw WSOP entries shoot up from 839 in 2003 to 2,576 the following year.

"It would be one of the best things to ever happen to the game. You might have resurgence," McEachern said.

While it may not have quite the same effect as the original Moneymaker victory, he said, it will re-instill to poker players around the world that anyone has a chance of winning the game's biggest tournaments.

So far in 2009, more than $173 million (C$185 million) has been won at WSOP events.