Having only been a poker professional for three years now after starting to play the game in 2003 right at the beginning of the “poker boom,” I was very fortunate to have been able to ride most of the meteoric rise that the game experienced from 2003 until 2006. Unfortunately, in recent years we’ve seen things such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), lower television ratings for poker, and an overall downturn in the economy cut into the growth of this great game.
Now don’t worry, this column has nothing to do with the death of poker or a downturn for the game. I’m not normally one to speculate on where the game is going, but there is no denying that its growth has slowed, the existing playing pool has gotten a lot more talented through the abundant forms of education out there, and with the downturn in the economy, fewer new players have discretionary income to put into poker.
That being said, not all is doom and gloom. In 2007, I started to take notice of things slowing down as some of the online fields started to shrink, but more importantly, many of the World Series of Poker events had fewer players than before. Later in 2007 and in early 2008, many of the World Poker Tour events I went to also had smaller fields than in previous years.
This year, however, many of the World Series of Poker fields (including the Main Event) actually grew! And while World Poker Tour events weren’t necessarily growing, they were holding onto their 2007 numbers (at least the ones I attended) fairly well. Perhaps more recently (and the inspiration for this particular column), I recently returned from the Bellagio in Las Vegas where I played many of the preliminary events for the Five Diamond Classic on the World Poker Tour. The fields for the $1,500-$5,000 events, while not huge, were larger than I had anticipated. In addition, I was not familiar with many of the faces that I ran into at the tables, something that has been a lot rarer in recent years at live events.
I’m not trying at all to be political here, so hopefully what I say isn’t misinterpreted, but under the new Obama Administration, there is some hope that the UIGEA may be overturned or at least clarified so that online poker isn’t included. There is also hope that our general economy may turn around. More people with discretionary money is always a good thing for poker.
With that in mind, and with some of the anecdotal evidence I’ve seen in my limited travels this year, I’m cautiously optimistic that poker can start back on a growth path. It probably won’t be at the same level we saw during the “poker boom,” but hopefully will be a slower, steadier growth. In addition, hopefully the stigma associated with playing poker online disappears and people’s discretionary incomes improve.
I realize that discussing the poker economy isn’t exactly exciting (thank you if you’re still reading), but growth of the game is important for everyone. While I enjoy seeing faces of friends that I recognize at the tables while I’m out traveling, some of my most enjoyable experiences come from getting to meet amateur players who have a true passion for the game. Being around those types of people reminds me why I love poker in the first place and reinvigorates my “poker spirit” by making the game feel a lot more fun and a lot less like a grind.
I’ve had a very busy year this year. My family has been in the process of building a new house, I’ve released a book, and I had my signing and subsequent resignation from Ultimate Bet. All of these things were wonderful experiences that I’m glad I went through and I look forward to releasing a second book soon. That being said, many of them were huge distractions this year, and going into 2009, I’m really looking forward to having a clear mind at the tables and getting a chance to hit the tournament trail again and really focus on poker. Having seen the fields that the Five Diamond preliminary tournaments received, as well as being hopeful that the economy is turning around and some of the barriers that have been in place in the poker landscape will be removed, I’m a lot more excited about the prospects of poker in 2009 than I was even just a few short months ago.
I don’t have my thoughts quite as in order as I usually like to in this column, but the short version of what I’m trying to say is that a lot of things have happened in the last few months that have made me much more optimistic about the state of poker moving forward. I’ve also had the opportunity and pleasure of working with people who were able to take me out of the grind and, through their passion for the game, have reignited my passion for the game.
For the first time in a while, I’m really excited about the prospect of getting out and playing more poker, as well as meeting new players who share my enthusiasm for the game. If you see me out on the tournament trail next year, please don’t hesitate to say hello. I really do enjoy meeting new poker players, especially if they share my love for this great game.
