If you needed anymore indication that the online world of poker was going to collide with the offline world, perhaps the most recent announcement coming from the Poker Stars camp will be that indication.

In a recent press release that has garnered surprisingly little media attention considering the importance of the announcement, Poker Stars has announced the creation of a new team of Poker Stars professionals dubbed Team Poker Stars Online.

This team draws fully from players in the VIP program that have reached the top Supernova Elite level at Poker Stars. From 2000 applications out of the 5000 eligible players based on that stipulation, Poker Stars was able to choose 23 players from 18 different countries to form its first Team Poker Stars Online.

Many of these players will not be known to people that watch poker on television, but they are famous amongst the community that is generally aware of what is going on in online poker. Names like Steve Jacobs, the winner of the 2008 heads-up championship at the World Championship of Online Poker, are not household names in the offline poker world, but are well known online nonetheless.

Poker Stars has already announced plans to expand the team in 2010, adding new players when the time is right. In the meantime however, people will certainly be looking forward to the friendly competition that will certainly spring up between Team Poker Stars Online and Team Poker Stars Pro. The latter team, anchored by such household names as Daniel Negreanu, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, is one that is already very high in the media profile. If Team Poker Stars Online manages to best them in 2010, it could easily be a quick road to fame and fortune for many of the players involved.

Poker Stars is not the first site to attempt creating a team of professional players drawn solely from the ranks of online players, but they are certainly the first to throw such high-profile backing behind it so early. This has made many eager to see what the next few months bring from both Poker Stars teams.