wtl0715

I am on the hunt for a few answers about a specific web site idea. Please keep in mind that I am IT-illiterate. I don't even know the basics, but I'll ask my questions with as much detail as possible.

I am in the very beginning stages of a business plan. I am trying to find out if my idea is feasible before I spend too much time researching. The website I'd like to develp involves playing texas hold'em poker online (not for money). Here are a few questions that would help me get started.

1) How difficult would it be to develop a browser-based poker game? Would it be easier to acquire a game that has already been designed than to contract the design of a new one? I would like to see clean graphics, nothing too complicated, and a friendly user-interface. I understand that it is impossible to develop a completely random card-distribution engine, but I would need the cards to be dealt as close to randomly as possible.

2) Would it be possible to host an online tournament with a large number of players in a browser-based game? If so, what sort of maximum capacity could I reasonably expect (ie, 50 players at a time, 20,000 players at a time)? For a large tournament, would it be necessary to have people download my program?

3) What sort of resources would I need to run a large online tournament, keep track of player accounts/logins/playing times/etc? I don't know how the internet operates, even on a basic level, so I need to know if I would have to own a large server or if there are services that allow you to pay for the amount of server space necessary to run a large tournament.

4) What could I expect to spend for this operation (fixed and variable costs)? I realize that any number will be a rough estimate, but I'd like to have some idea of what I would have to pay a professional (or team) to create this website, poker interface, and game. I'd also like to have a rough estimate of what my monthly cost would be to host a large online hold'em tournament (likely a few every day).

I'd rather not get into the specifics of the business idea just yet, but a few answers to these would be a great help. Legality is not an issue, but that's just about the only thing I've researched in-depth. If you're able to answer one or more of these questions, please shoot me an email:
shaft3407@yahoo.com

Thanks in advance,
WTL