….The Poker Revival is Over
1. Not so long ago, it seemed like everyone was talking about playing poker but now a lot of the chatter is disappearing. Sure, the all-sports channels are still broadcasting poker shows when they’ve nothing else to put on the air but I would bet - no pun intended - that the number of people getting together to play poker has dramatically dropped. When was the last time you hosted a poker night?
2. The U.S. government badly wounded the poker phenomena last year when it passed the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act of 2006 that banned U.S. citizens from gambling online. While you can still play poker for fun, it’s nothing like the thrill of playing for money, which you can’t easily do anymore from the U.S. The movement to ban online gambling is now spreading to other places such as Norway - that not Norway is scene as an online poker mecca!
3. Poker is a game of chance and skill. The more you play, the better you get. Unfortunately, few of us have time to sit around and play poker so we never get better, which means we lose more often than we win. Funny how the fun disappears when this happens. (Note: To improve your poker game, check out eHow.)
4. The best poker players these days are nerds rather than charismatic personalities. They’re mostly guys who spend far too much indoors and wear bad clothes but think they’re extremely cool. I mean, look at how many poker players wear expensive sunglasses indoors. Sure, it can be a competitive advantage but it looks dorky!
5. Poker is losing is sheen in the capital of gambling - Nevada. Revenues from poker rooms throughout the state dropped 6% in July and August compared with the same period a year earlier, according to figures from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. This compares with double-digit increases in recent years. As a result, many casinos are going back to traditional games.
Technorati Tags: Poker
November 7th, 2007 at 6:07 am
I’m working on an entry of my favourite poker ‘celebrities’ just now.
In the UK it seems to be growing and growing. I’ve been playing in home games and card rooms in London for the past few years and due to some great dedicated organisers there seem to be more people playing now than ever.
The decision in America sure did impact there, but it has opened many doors here as a result, which is great for the game in Europe. Just look at the WSOP Europe this year. Not a huge turnout, but surely one that the professional players liked due to the lack of amateurs…and if they rave about it then it’s bound to grow over the next few years.
I still play whenever I get the chance, but of course with a full time job and other interests it can be hard to dedicate the time. There are only so many work nights you can sit up in a dark room playing until dawn before it starts to affect you. Still…it’s a fun hobby and often quite profitable.
November 7th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Thank goodness! I’ve been meaning to point the end of this fad out myself.
December 16th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Yes the poker surge is over but overall, a hell of a lot more folk play poker than pre-Chris Moneymaker and the online boom.
While many fad followers won’t bother with the weekly home game anymore, the previous sudden increase in exposure has given a lot of people a new means to an end.
Before I found poker, I couldn’t get a decent job anywhere (that’s what you get for studying zoology). Now I make 2-4 times /month as much as I would working a regular job, and because I live in the UK, it’s tax free.
I was worried that the decline in interest would hamper my chances of keeping this form of income, as all that would be left would be the hardcore players that actually know the game.
It’s not happened yet.