Is Poker Dead?
By Barry Shulman, Card Player Chairman - 2005-10-20
Almost every reporter I speak with wants to know three things: Do I think poker is a fad, has it peaked out, and why is it so popular?
No, poker is not a just a fad. People have enjoyed playing games, gambling, taking chances, and looking for big returns for generations -- and that is not about to change.
No it has not peaked. Poker is growing at a faster rate this year than any previous year. Of course, because poker has become so mainstream, many people are trying poker lately who will not all be players five years from now. Not everybody will find the same fascination with the game that many of us have over the years. But they are balanced by the many just discovering poker who will get hooked on this wonderful game.
The standard answer for why poker is so popular attributes the popularity to two elements: the convergence of poker on TV — with the cameras showing holecards — and the rise of Internet poker, which made it accessible, affordable, and easy to find a game.
Both of those things are certainly true, but the real reasons poker is so popular and why it is not just a passing fancy are: It's fun; for a small investment people have a chance for a very big win; and the advent of tournament poker.
See, the real deal is that poker has just the right balance of luck and skill. That is what allows the recreational player to play next to the pro and have a chance to win. On the other hand, there is tremendous skill and learning possible in poker. Before we had tournaments, the pros just got too much of the winnings too often. Tournaments have added considerable luck to the game, and that is why the amateurs have such fun playing it.
The pros who complain that the luck factor has gotten out of hand just don’t get it. There is a reason that tournaments with million-dollar (and up!) prize pools happen 50 times a year now instead of once.
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I thought this was an interesting take on poker by the publisher of Cardplayer magazine. If professional pool can find its balance with the sporting public here in the US, it can become successful similar to poker. Maybe the IBT could be the start of that (lets hope). Possibly, sometime down the road, companies like brunswick, diamond, mali and alike, might just start putting their dollars into the IPT, pool could see even bigger payouts and larger fields. I would guess from the first IPT event and over the next 24-36 months we well see if professional pool has grown more and for the better here in the US or if the same problems that have plagued this game over the past 25 years end it. Time will only tell. Is the IPT professional pool's last chance to succeed at least here in the US?
Just a thought on the subject. Thanks for reading.
By Barry Shulman, Card Player Chairman - 2005-10-20
Almost every reporter I speak with wants to know three things: Do I think poker is a fad, has it peaked out, and why is it so popular?
No, poker is not a just a fad. People have enjoyed playing games, gambling, taking chances, and looking for big returns for generations -- and that is not about to change.
No it has not peaked. Poker is growing at a faster rate this year than any previous year. Of course, because poker has become so mainstream, many people are trying poker lately who will not all be players five years from now. Not everybody will find the same fascination with the game that many of us have over the years. But they are balanced by the many just discovering poker who will get hooked on this wonderful game.
The standard answer for why poker is so popular attributes the popularity to two elements: the convergence of poker on TV — with the cameras showing holecards — and the rise of Internet poker, which made it accessible, affordable, and easy to find a game.
Both of those things are certainly true, but the real reasons poker is so popular and why it is not just a passing fancy are: It's fun; for a small investment people have a chance for a very big win; and the advent of tournament poker.
See, the real deal is that poker has just the right balance of luck and skill. That is what allows the recreational player to play next to the pro and have a chance to win. On the other hand, there is tremendous skill and learning possible in poker. Before we had tournaments, the pros just got too much of the winnings too often. Tournaments have added considerable luck to the game, and that is why the amateurs have such fun playing it.
The pros who complain that the luck factor has gotten out of hand just don’t get it. There is a reason that tournaments with million-dollar (and up!) prize pools happen 50 times a year now instead of once.
__________________________
I thought this was an interesting take on poker by the publisher of Cardplayer magazine. If professional pool can find its balance with the sporting public here in the US, it can become successful similar to poker. Maybe the IBT could be the start of that (lets hope). Possibly, sometime down the road, companies like brunswick, diamond, mali and alike, might just start putting their dollars into the IPT, pool could see even bigger payouts and larger fields. I would guess from the first IPT event and over the next 24-36 months we well see if professional pool has grown more and for the better here in the US or if the same problems that have plagued this game over the past 25 years end it. Time will only tell. Is the IPT professional pool's last chance to succeed at least here in the US?
Just a thought on the subject. Thanks for reading.
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