GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 10 - Sept 2009

16 GPWA Times :: Online Poker in the USA— Strong, SteadyandHere to Stay! ByGaryTrask E ver since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passednearly threeyearsago, the onlinegamingworldhasbeenfilledwith volatility. But the one constant has been onlinepoker. In fact,onlinepoker in theU.S.hasnotonly endured theUIGEA but has surmounted otherobstaclesaswell.Cheatingscandals havebeen featuredon “60Minutes.”The worst recession since World War II has affectedspendinghabitsofallAmericans. Andpayment processors in theU.S. have been indicted. But despite those impediments, theU.S. still dominates the international market for online poker. Just last month Poker PlayersResearch reported that there are still more than 10 million real-money poker players in the U.S. – more than five times thenumber in theU.K., which is the second-biggest market with 1.9 million players. (Germany was the next on the list with 1.6million, followed by Francewith 1.3million and Scandinavia with 1.4 million players.) The two biggest operators in the poker market – PokerStars and Full Tilt – never left theU.S.post-UIGEAandhaveused their dominance to thrive inEuropeandother locations since the prize money in their tournaments attracts players from all over theworld. “Onlinepoker isstill theking,”saysEllen Jacobs, aGPWAmember best known as “pokertramp.” “I’ve been involved with it for almost 10 years and it’s changed a great deal, but it’s still growing despite all of theproblems.” There are many reasons why online pokercontinuestothrive.There’sthe fact that it’smore of a skill game than other casino games. Or that it’s a game that is consideredpartofAmericanculture.But the biggest benefit that poker has over other games offered online is that it is increasingly glamorized by the media, especially onTV by ESPN, whichmeans moreplayers areattracted to thegame. “You watch poker on TV and all you see is theseguyssittingthere with huge amounts of chips sitting in front of them,” says Jeremy Enke, a veteran of the pokeraffiliate industry and the CEO of PokerAffiliateListings. com. “If you didn’t knowanybetter, you’d think that all of these guys have tons of money and they never lose. That’s what poker on TV portrays. It glamorizes the game and makes it attractive topeoplewhomay have never playedonline.” But asmuch as poker on TV has helped the game grow, you have to credit the game for making adaptations along the way to accommodate the growing number of players. Jacobs remembers that when she first started playing there were just a handful of sites to choose fromand theskill level of theplayerswas not impressive. “I could play four or five hours a day and make a living at it,” remembers Jacobs, who is based in Australia and runs several poker portals, including PokerPokerAndMorePoker.com and FreeRollTournamentsOnline.com. “But then the poker boom came along and all of a sudden you hadmore andmore people learninghow toplay the game. It became tougher forme tomakemoney, but itwas a great thing for the game and agreat thing for the industry.” As more and more players converged online to play poker, the operators con- tinued to improve the manner in which the game could be played. Software im- proved dramatically, making the game more funandeye-pleasingonline. Inad- dition, the new software allowedplayers to multi-table, something that was rare as recent as four orfiveyears ago. Secondly, the skill level has been raised even higher thanks to teaching Web sites such as PokerStrategy.com and CardRunners.com that have helped transform average players into a very goodplayer. “Poker isoneof thosegames thataplayer realizes that if he works at it he can get better and you can’t say that about slot machines or even blackjack for that matter,” says Enke. “Players work at their game and before they know it the gamebecomesmore than just ahobby, it becomesaway tomake some realmoney on the side.” “The skill level of amateur players has goneupdramatically,” adds2004World Series of PokerMainEvent champGreg Raymer. “The resources to improve your game didn’t exist four or five years ago. Sonowadays it’smucheasier to learn the game andpeople aremore serious about improving their game rather than going onlineand just playing.” Among the obvious beneficiaries of the growth of online poker have been the affiliates. “I promote about 90 percent poker and that’s because I know it’s going to be steady income,” says Jacobs. “You wouldhave thought the recessionwould “Onlinepoker is still the king. I’vebeen involved with it for almost 10 years and it’s changeda great deal, but it’s still growingdespiteall of the problems.” –EllenJacobs, “pokertramp” Online Poker in the USA— Strong, Steady and Here to Stay! POKER