Is poker getting too popular?
I know before writing this that I may get flamed, but here goes. Does anyone else feel that Poker is becoming too popular lately?
This line of thinking came to me over the weekend while I was out shopping in the US with my wife. Almost everywhere we went, there were poker displays. Meijer had a large number of poker items, including beginner poker sets, and learning holdem poker sets. Dicks sports, had poker tables, and learn Texas Holdem sets. Back at the beer store here in Sarnia, they had a learn texas holdem set in with all the other beer paraphernalia. And the topper of all this was Bed Bath and Beyond (that's right, I said "Bed Bath and Beyond"). They had a whole area in the aisle full of poker stuff: felt table toppers, poker chips, handheld poker games, and the best yet... Texas holdem for dummies (with special cards that say right on the face how to play them). What's next, the "Doyle Brunson action figure"!?
Maybe it's just me. I'm one of the types of people who likes to be doing something a little different from the rest of the crowd. It just seems that the sea is soon going to be too full of fish, and it may take away from the enjoyment for those of us who like the game.
It's analagous to playing fighting games (ie. tekken, mortal combat) on the Xbox. You've spent the time to practice, and learn the special moves, and really enjoy playing other people of like skill. Then you play a first timer, and they're just a button masher. They come straight at you kicking and punching, hitting all the buttons as as fast as their fingers can go. You'll probably still win, but it's no longer as fun as it was.
Just imagine a table with 6-8 of these "button mashers". Everyone raising like maniacs, people constantly trying to bluff (because they saw it on TV), your pair of Kings being busted by 4,7o (happened to me the other day). Variance is going to go through the roof, or you'll have to tighten up so much that you can only play Aces and Kings. People who play higher limits should be fairly safe, and I imagine tournaments will get easier as these people will just be donating to the prize pool, but I think low limit ($2/$4 and below) will suffer.
What are other people's opinions on this??
(Flame away)
This line of thinking came to me over the weekend while I was out shopping in the US with my wife. Almost everywhere we went, there were poker displays. Meijer had a large number of poker items, including beginner poker sets, and learning holdem poker sets. Dicks sports, had poker tables, and learn Texas Holdem sets. Back at the beer store here in Sarnia, they had a learn texas holdem set in with all the other beer paraphernalia. And the topper of all this was Bed Bath and Beyond (that's right, I said "Bed Bath and Beyond"). They had a whole area in the aisle full of poker stuff: felt table toppers, poker chips, handheld poker games, and the best yet... Texas holdem for dummies (with special cards that say right on the face how to play them). What's next, the "Doyle Brunson action figure"!?
Maybe it's just me. I'm one of the types of people who likes to be doing something a little different from the rest of the crowd. It just seems that the sea is soon going to be too full of fish, and it may take away from the enjoyment for those of us who like the game.
It's analagous to playing fighting games (ie. tekken, mortal combat) on the Xbox. You've spent the time to practice, and learn the special moves, and really enjoy playing other people of like skill. Then you play a first timer, and they're just a button masher. They come straight at you kicking and punching, hitting all the buttons as as fast as their fingers can go. You'll probably still win, but it's no longer as fun as it was.
Just imagine a table with 6-8 of these "button mashers". Everyone raising like maniacs, people constantly trying to bluff (because they saw it on TV), your pair of Kings being busted by 4,7o (happened to me the other day). Variance is going to go through the roof, or you'll have to tighten up so much that you can only play Aces and Kings. People who play higher limits should be fairly safe, and I imagine tournaments will get easier as these people will just be donating to the prize pool, but I think low limit ($2/$4 and below) will suffer.
What are other people's opinions on this??
(Flame away)
Comments
Why do you speak like we're not already at that level? The degeneration of the low limit game is the reason Sklansky had to come out with the small stakes holdem book..
People have been playing poker for hundreds of years.. It'll eventually fall out of favour with the media but I think there will still be fresh meat coming in for years to come.
Stop it. This is like the poker version of a wet dream...
I sure hope so. [Homer drooling noise.]
Long run results in poker are determined only by the skill differentials between you and your opponents.*
More and more people getting interested in the game of poker is a great thing for poker. This will develop the game of poker as a whole, and expand a game we already like, probably creating new and more opportunities to play. Did you like it better when there were 0 places to play poker in Ontario? Will you look back a couple of years from now and think that 6 (if I counted correctly) legal cardrooms in Ontario is just as laughable a number as 0?
The new found popularity of poker is one of the best, probably simply the best, thing that's ever happened to the poker.
At a fundamental level, whether we are bitter old geezers who hate outsiders, or embassadors of what we think is the "greatest game on Earth" (or at least, a very good game) will ultimately determine the fate of poker.
I think T.J. Cloutier said it best at this year's WSOP.
"There's room for everybody."
ScottyZ
*And by any fee(s) you are charged to play.
Just think about it for a second. All these new fishies coming into play. They all put down loads of money to become the next "big player". They play recklesley, raising all the time... bluffing all the time. Hell that is the skilled poker players dream. Sit back, wait for the good hands, and in the long run skill will win out. If you are a profitable and skilled player, you will be the winner. I personally love all the new players because of this fact. Why do you think I can kill all the lower limit games at ultimatebet? Lots of fishies... play tight-agressive and take there money away. Bottom line, period!
Just my two cents.
Playing against loose agressive bluffers, is a game where the edges aren't tiny but hugely in your favour. That doesn't mean you won't lose, it means you'll win more in the long run but get hit bad quite a few times on the way.
Poker can keep getting popular as far as I'm concerned!!
p.s. Remember... when you get sucked out on... just smile and say "Nice hand!"
Right on!
I like the way the game is being advertised by the media. Although the media is neither accurate, or realistic, many beginners are getting the bug for poker in a big way. With the increase of tournament play in Canada, the demand for poker rooms is at an all time high. The other day, I went to the Brantford Charity Casino, and while I only had to wait 1/2 an hour for a $10-$20 table, my wife, who just started playing, had to wait nearly 4 hours for a $2-$5 table, and they had 4 $2-$5 tables running! The kicker was it was a weekday! I figure it is only a matter of time before poker rooms accross Canada start growing, and new poker rooms are developing, to catch up to the awesome demand for poker in Canada.
OK,
JGB
QQ has a 18.5% chance pre-flop.
74o has a 16.2% chance.
Am I missing something?
I could accept someone calling with QQ and thinking they had the best hand. That's a reasonable play and if he gets some lucky cards, good for him. 74o is a bit harder to take! That guy has no business being in the hand. The only consolation is you know long term he is going to give it all back, with interest.
Bottom line: poker is popular. This is a good thing since that means the good players are going to make more money. I'm not in that class yet (by far) but I'm having fun learning. Also, it's a lot easier to find a game any day of the week. It is difficult playing with guys who don't know the rules or when to fold. Sometimes I feel guilty taking their money but not for long...
Wader
http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3165412
But I'm all for the continued growth of Poker. I'd much prefer to drive 20 minutes to Woodbine to play poker, rather than 1 1/2 to Brantford. If the game continues to grow, hopefully demand will dictate a card room opens at Woodbine.
I'm not sure but I think legislation is needed to allow tracks to offer anything except slots. That's what I was told when I asked at Sudbury Downs. They had all kinds of slots and I asked someone there if there were any plans to expand to poker tables. The Ontario government is so addicted to slot income I doubt they will ever make room for poker tables which probably bring in less money per square foot.