Poker Following The Way Of Esports

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Poker is one of the oldest and best-loved card games in the world; it has been played for centuries and its popularity is showing no signs of slowing down. That feeling of calling someone’s bluff or presenting a winning hand cannot be beaten, and of course winning some money ain’t bad either! Ever since the invention of the internet, online poker games have been extremely popular with more than 100 million people playing online and a total revenue of over $76.59 billion in the US alone. It’s clear that the internet is taking over all aspects of life, but what does this mean for live poker? Are live poker games set to become a thing of the past, or are they too much of a timeless classic to ever go away? Let’s see what makes online poker games better to play than live poker games and if this is the beginning of the end for live poker.

Massively Multiplayer Tournaments

One of the best aspects of playing online poker games is the fact that there are so many more fun ways to play online rather than live. One of the most popular ways to play is through the range of massively multiplayer tournaments which are held online, and these tournaments all vary in sizes and features.

Firstly, you have the SNGs, which stands for sit n’ gos, and these tournaments span from as few as two players per session all the way up to 360 pre-registered players per session.  When everyone who has registered for it has signed in, the game will begin. The great thing about SNGs is that they are low-commitment and can be done within an hour ,you aren’t stuck playing for too long, and SNGs offer prizes to the top three players so there’s a better chance of winning something rather than walking away with nothing.

Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) are another kind of online poker tournament and the stakes for these are higher. Players must buy into the game and it usually costs around $10.00 to play and you could end up playing poker against thousands of people all around the world, an experience you’ll never get with live poker games. With MTTs you could end up playing for hours on end until one person is claimed to be the winner, and that person will get a massive cash payout.

Heads-up poker tournaments are pretty similar to live poker games they consist of only two players going head to head in a high-intensity game where players will carry on playing until one of them is a winner and spectators can watch the game unfold. This aspect of online poker is very similar to live poker, however, the other two are very much exclusive to online poker and they help add a whole new level of excitement to the game.

Whether Texas Holdem is your thing or if you’re more of a 7-card stud person, online poker tournaments offer great ways to play with people all around the world in an instant.

Free Offers & Bonuses

Sure, with live poker games, you can stand to win a whole load of cash at the table and it can be a very satisfying feeling. However, the advantage that online poker has is that most sites have a lot of free offers and bonus prizes that can be won as well. Sites such as 888poker offer a $10 bonus for your first deposit when you play with them, which means you have more chances to play and win.

With more money added to your deposit for free, bonus features such as free games, or just that little bit of extra cash added to the jackpot prize pot, you save much more money. Live poker doesn’t have the chance to offer such a thing because they don’t need to: if you’re already at their casino, they don’t have to entice you to play. Since the online casino market is already so saturated, online casinos have to offer something that others don’t to get you to play with them and these free offers and bonuses make it a win-win situation for everyone!

A Shot at Fame

Living in the digital age has led to the chance for everyday people to become massive celebrities. From YouTube vloggers to Instagram stars and more, people are using the internet to make a name for themselves and showcase their lives and abilities in creative and new ways.

But what does this have to do with online poker, I hear you ask. Well, with streaming sites such as Twitch becoming so popular, more and more people are tuning in to watch people play all kinds of games including, you guessed it, online poker. Twitch has huge gaming stars such as eSports champion Jordan ‘n0thing’ Gilbert and Ninja, but now online poker is making a name for itself on the platform, even having a whole section of the site dedicated to it.

Millions of people tune into Twitch every day and for those who wish to stream their experience playing online poker, it can become a legit way to become famous and become one of the most prolific streamers. Just one of these streaming celebs is Arlie Shaban, a man so skilled and dedicated to playing online poker that he even quit his job to pursue his passion, and has so far amassed over 12,000 followers on the platform. By no means are we advising you to quit your day job just yet, it just goes to show just how far you can go by simply streaming your gameplay online!

Whether you prefer to play poker live or online, we can all agree that it’s a fun game to play. There’s a reason why it’s remained such a popular card game over the years, and the move to online poker only adds more excitement and fun to the game. With everything becoming more integrated into the digital world, it’s unsurprising that online poker has done so well. If you haven’t yet played poker online, give it a try and you may surprise yourself with how much you enjoy it!

Adam

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Adam

Adam is the owner of BC-GB, find him on Twitter. BC-GB is the place to get CSGO tips, news and blog.

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