Going back to the days before the poker boom who could have imagined that poker would be such a part of modern day culture in 2010? Not only that, but the game is now considered cool. If you are a poker nerd talking about three betting light and push fold ranges whilst wearing outrageous hats and sunglasses you will appreciated for your skill rather than dismissed as a weird card player. So just what makes Poker so suitable for modern day culture, and will it last?

When Chris Moneymaker turned $40 into $2.5 million in 2003 the idea that cards and poker could be a quick and easy access to wealth really caught the imagination of people. Players note sure about strategy had the added benefit that the newly implemented hole-card cameras showed them the strategy used by the professional players and the myth of “secret strategies” used by professional poker players was broken forever. Players could now see the strategies used to win by players making millions from the game and replicate them into their own poker game. The pace in the growth of poker went up another notch.

Poker rooms began marketing for new players and as the games filled with these new players the potential to earn money from online poker was so high people flocked to join in. Demand and market conditions meant that other poker rooms arrived on the scene to grab their slice of the new and juicy poker pie. The snowball effect took hold and exploded the popularity of the game in a very short space of time.

Suddenly anyone with an Internet connection could play online poker. As more and more households connected to the Internet new players were appearing from everywhere. The age old taboo surrounding the game was now replaced by a game that offered opportunity rather than a guaranteed route to disaster. Players from Backgammon, Chess, Video Games and Mathematics all realised that their skills could be used to dip into the huge prize pools on offer if they mastered poker. The tidal wave of poker had completely smashed into mainstream culture with devastating speed.

Only the global recession in 2007 to 2009 slowed down the gravy train. The bad players had either improved or left the game and people saved rather than spent their money. Gaming became a luxury many families could not afford. A consequence of this meant that the games got tougher and now even the micro-limit cash games are not easy to beat. Any player wanting to learn to play poker must now be aware that we are not in the “glory days” of the poker boom any longer. You can still win but you must learn about bankroll management and take your time before playing against more experienced players. Prize pools are still amazing, but perhaps a little tougher to win.

We have moved into the age of poker training and diligent learning. Fortunately there will always be good player pools in casinos for live events and online poker tournaments will be filled thanks to the boom. We must now earn our crust at the tables with a solid game of ABC poker. Putting in the effort now whilst times are a little harder will be worth it if there is another poker boom in the future. Markets like the Asian market are not fully saturated yet so it is not the end of online poker, only a little quieter than its crazy introduction to mainstream culture.

Things like wide screen monitors and high tech training means poker is now being linked with technology to improve the experience of playing poker online. Poker rooms continue to compete and improve their online software to draw in new customers. Poker is now growing at a smaller and more sustainable rate, but it is still growing and is still a great game to learn, participate and win money from playing and the future is certainly bright for all forms of poker both live and online.

By Malcolm Clarke

Related posts:

1. Why is Poker So Popular? Poker enjoys a massive level of participation with hundreds of...
2. Are Poker Rooms Doing Enough To Stop Bots? Poker Bots are a constant problem for poker rooms who...
3. How Poker Helps You Become a Better Person Poker is a game of managing risk. Those poker players...
4. Why Poker Reads are the Real Tells Sit still because everyone is watching. Say nothing, do not...
5. Can You Charge $1000 for Poker Training? David Chicotsky was 2008 Bluff Magazine Online Player of the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.