{"id":7911,"date":"2018-07-10T01:11:19","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T05:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onlinepokeramerica.com\/?p=7911"},"modified":"2018-07-10T01:11:19","modified_gmt":"2018-07-10T05:11:19","slug":"how-pokers-popularity-soared-and-twitch-and-esports-helped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onlinepokeramerica.com\/news\/how-pokers-popularity-soared-and-twitch-and-esports-helped\/","title":{"rendered":"How Poker’s Popularity Soared and Twitch and Esports Helped"},"content":{"rendered":"
Poker used to be a game that was the preserve of foolhardy individuals with a flair for the unknown and well-heeled self-important buffs. The victory of the aptly named Chris Moneymaker in 2003 showed everyone that the game indeed rewarded players based on merit, not on privilege.<\/em><\/p>\n In a newly published report by global financial firm Goldman Sachs<\/strong>, electronic sports have been said to be hurtling towards the staggering $2.6 billion of annual revenue by 2022. And while today’s professional competitions featuring video gaming tend to be somewhat glamorous, they are a far cry from the dim-lit rooms in which grassroots enthusiasts gathered to hold the world’s first rather less sparkly competitive pow-wows. <\/p>\n Surprisingly, something similar has been happening to poker today<\/strong> and eSports may teach us quite a bit about the meteoric rise of a beloved hobby that suddenly turned out not to be the preserve of a select few – but the calling of gifted and hard-working individuals.<\/p>\n The victory of Chris Moneymaker in 2003<\/a> has been quite riveting, prying open the doors for the ensuing poker bonanza to shape up in full. Mr Moneymaker recently commented that 15 years after he had changed the world of professional poker, he had still a lot to learn himself if he wants to be on the top.<\/p>\n However, Mr Moneymaker had started a trend that is difficult to efface and that has spilled to virtually every aspect of poker and the gambling industry. The grassroots enthusiasm launched with Mr Moneymaker\u2019s water-shed victory<\/strong> made more amateur players with a deep love for the game and a penchant for winning juicy sums aware of the bridling potential.<\/p>\n What followed was a massive push to embrace poker as a mainstream game. However, the movement has matured since then, and today we\u2019ve come to known new tools, which helped popularize the game itself.<\/p>\n The pervasiveness of streaming platforms has become paramount to success. Phil Galfond<\/a> has recently launched his own channel. This push for a more \u201cpersonalized\u2019 approach has been quite omnipresent and it has spilled well beyond poker, naturally. We believe that the eSports comparison captured by the Goldman Sachs report to be the best way of exemplifying the indeed meteoric rise of the game.<\/p>\nPoker Finds a New Elan<\/h2>\n
Poker Players Used Not to Twitch<\/h2>\n