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Poker Boom.. What would it take?


Magicadil

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Last time poker had a major boom was when Moneymaker won the main event. Since then, while not completely dead, Poker has been on a decline. What will it take for Poker to explode once again, if even possible? Here are potential scenarios.

 

- A woman winning the WSOP

- Major changes in Casinos that attract females. Not many women want to sit in a cardroom for extended hours. (Table talk boring, creepy men, etc)

- A celebrity making a poker related song. (Justin Bieber for example)

 

In your opinion, what would it take for us to see a Poker boom?

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Celebrity or a woman at the final table of the wsop main event, celebrity even more I think.  Maybe an international soccer star would be even better.  

Someone to inspire their fans to get in the game, especially if they are just a casual player.  Other than that I don't think another poker boom is possible, too many scandals, the pile of messes in the USA.  Regulated American online poker will not help the poker boom at all.  They all want to tax and profit from poker players too heavily in the United States and why would any casual player want to pay taxes at the end of the year for playing a card game.

That being said poker isn't in bad shape right now, you have Unibet doing a wonderful job keeping the games great and casual players interested.  I admire the DuskTillDawn Poker club as they have hosted multiple $109 buy in tournaments with $250,000 gtd throughout the U.K this year.  They constantly push the envelope and create a ton of great value.  I see the present as a good opportunity to make a run at poker.

 

 

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first of all cause will never be a poker boom again is all about legislation . Never ever in this world will be the same as it was at the start.Nobody will ever change gambling legislation , in special USA and European countryes as : France , Italy , Spain etc. ( all togheter) .

Secondly in the past was the feeling to get rich from nothing but during the time so many things has been changed . Promotions are not anymore same as it was in the past , players start to become better year after year cause now are to many poker strategies forums and to many showing the game strategies , huds and bots etc.

In the past players were able to play fair and based on their skills , americans wales  who were not able to waste their time at x $ they were at higher levels transforming those games very profitable for others .

Many things has been changed and poker is not anymore profitable for the companies , see so many gambling companies keeps the sports activity but are closing the poker section .

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Hey ... poker yes they disappear more on more ... but what I heard coming teams as small change when they apply to poker in the United States ... on the sturgeon are some companies that awaits the new law ... have contact with Patrik Antonius part because we are childhood friends  .. he says that poker players become 75% better at playing with the years so they are not the ones to win money on the internet but the big money is now on the live poker around the world on now they will who said more to get more countries to drop its ban on gambling on poker on ... they will be over 800 million new players for games companies to be turned on ahead according to those who know ... so they will speed up Internet spelndet again many believe ... but as I said get to see what's going to come in the world of poker on the Internet

robb-75

robb-75
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All of the ideas suggested prior have a lot of merit and on their own might not be enough but if a few occurred at the same time we could see some improvements.  Where online poker went wrong is they didn't invest in legitimizing themselves in the US like Fantasy Sports did by partnering with huge sports teams like the Dallas Cowbows, NY Yankees.

The best path forward for a company like Unibet is to make a partnership that involves giving a slice of the revenue to an outside company just being able to use their name and to try and tap into their potential player base.

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@BookTheWin wrote:

Ya always cheering for anyone that isn't american at final table, for a potential poker boom in that country.


This years final table has 4 non Americans. Belgium, Czech, Canada, & Spain. I will have to root for Griffin Benger since he's from my home country & was very exciting to watch on the Shark Cage.

I debate
Should I smile like everything's good and pretend that life is great
Or should I let the world see the real me and not hide this pain
I tried to be like the rest of y'all, sorry I just can't
I'ma probably die this way
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Repealing UIGEA would be the starting point IMO. Besides the obvious hindrance of preventing people from playing and thus cutting down the player pool, it's also created a bit of an image problem for online poker. In some circles it now has an air of seediness around it, considered as a place for money-laundering, tax evasion and miscellanous crooks and frauds. So once the legislative issues would no longer around, it would also take image-building to remind the general public that online poker is just another form of "The Great American Pasttime" and nothing sinister.

Once it takes off in the USA, the entertainment business via movies, TV and online exposure would hopefully cause it to boom throughout the world again. If I remember correctly MTV Europe used to show the European Poker Tour years ago, that's the kind of exposure that will get casual players heading to the tables.

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In theory a lot of these suggestions could work (Repealing UIGEA, etc) but in reality, the only way for another boom to occur is if they found a way to make Poker more exciting. Majority of people don't want to sit in a cardroom all day. If they found a way to bring poker tables outdoors, I think that alone would cause a spike in new players. This would be extremely difficult though because of environmental changes, security risks, & finding the proper location to execute this plan.

I debate
Should I smile like everything's good and pretend that life is great
Or should I let the world see the real me and not hide this pain
I tried to be like the rest of y'all, sorry I just can't
I'ma probably die this way
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For me it's all about image.

In the past poker had an image of being played by gangsters and criminals in seedy surroundings. For some this is what made the game appealing in the first place, a kind of romanticised glamour (all be it wrongly) that we all associate with gangsters in the movies.

The modern image of poker still has the seedy element attached to it but less so, where it does fall down is in the way the players are dressed.  Consider this when you watch any other sporting event or pastime. Players appear in uniforms, snooker professionals smartly dressed, swimmers and gymnasts toned honed and easy on the eye. Now consider Poker.  When you tune into any TV poker event you are greeted by an array of sweatshirts, dark glasses, baggy clothes and generally unkempt looking individuals. 

If you were a TV exec how much air time would you be willing to give to an event in which you either can't see the face of the person playing or if you can they are dressed like they've been wearing the same clothes for a week?

I was attreacted to poker after watching a series called Late Night Poker way back in the day on a UK tv station. The players where all smartly dressed and never seemed to lose their cool. It was where I first saw the Devil fish and needles to say I was hooked.

The other problem, again image related is that there seem to be fewer characters theses days. Phill Helmuth was always a draw, Daniel Negrano and Phill Ivey together with Phil Lakk and I could go on. Who can name any modern characters? I can't and I both watch and play a huge amount of poker!

The other image problem is that not enough is made of just how technical the game really is at the higher levels. Too much for me is made of the luck element, which I suppose is necessary too encourage new players to the game. I can think of darts as an example of where a simple pub game has been transformed not by concentrating on the "luck" element but by the professionals stating just how hard it really is and how you need to practice on a constant basis.

I do agree with a few of the previous comments regarding US citizens being allowed to play online again. This will not happen though as long as the poker sites operate from overseas countries and tax havens. This, together with pressure from the brick and mortar casinoes was the real reason that congress banned on line gambling with the exception of horse racing. Horse racing bookmakers with a geographical presence in the USA are still allowed to accept bets by US citizens.

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 Amazing first post!

I agree that image is everything. People should take more pride in how they look. It's not that difficult. If you know you're going to be on T.V, take a shower, fix your hair, & put on some nice clothes. It should be common sense, but unfortunately a lot of people either don't care, or don't understand why it's necessary. Joe McKeehen is a great example of this. Has months to prepare for final table, but puts minimal effort into appearance. Complete turnoff for the viewers.

I debate
Should I smile like everything's good and pretend that life is great
Or should I let the world see the real me and not hide this pain
I tried to be like the rest of y'all, sorry I just can't
I'ma probably die this way
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Jason Somerville was on CNBC debating a Reverend/Politician over the legalization of poker. Thoughts?

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000541764

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Should I smile like everything's good and pretend that life is great
Or should I let the world see the real me and not hide this pain
I tried to be like the rest of y'all, sorry I just can't
I'ma probably die this way
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I think he is a little too biased on what is good for the United States and what is good for Poker Stars.  If it gets regulated like it has in New Jersey then it isn't with the worldwide player pool.  So just Americans playing against Americans and they have to pay taxes and fill out forms, which kind of kills the freedom part of playing online poker.  It could eventually expand to the worldwide stars client, but not in the next 5 years and possibly never.  What Americans have been doing is playing on unregulated card rooms like Bodog and ACR.  They both have been established for a long time now and despite having some high fees for cashing out, they are paying out to their players and fast.  No taxes and they can play with the worldwide database.  That doesn't work for Poker Stars so Jason Somerville will state only the negatives to those unregulated card rooms at the moment.  

Side Note: Jason Somerville played in New Jersey on regulated Poker Stars and he was a losing player on the poker room.  With the regulation and hassle it takes to get set up Poker Stars NJ has really taken out the weak players.  Only players that were professionals or think they were strong were really playing on Stars New Jersey at least in the first couple of months.  If Jason Somerville crushed New Jersey in the first couple of months, it probably wouldve attracted some more players thinking the poker room was soft.  The fact he was getting hammered on even if it was just a month or 2, doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

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I feel like Jason Somerville did a decent job conveying his message. When he mentioned he lost 10s of thousands to unregulated sites he should have also mentioned the millons he won playing poker. To those not familiar with the poker world, he might come off as a degenerate gambler. (Based on that statement)

 

Second and most importantly, he should have dressed better. Suit & tie would have worked better than the Poker gear. CNBC caters to a conservative audience so looking more professional would have had more people take him seriously.

 

Overall I feel he did a decent job & its a lot better than nothing.

I debate
Should I smile like everything's good and pretend that life is great
Or should I let the world see the real me and not hide this pain
I tried to be like the rest of y'all, sorry I just can't
I'ma probably die this way
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