What will be the economic future for Poker?
As always, thousands of players have paid to enter the WSOP Main Event this year. But 2012 is also synonymous with many questions about the economic future of poker. This is the article on the future of poker games.
Future of poker games
Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars have a fundamental role in the participation of many players to the WSOP for years. This year, for obvious reasons , Full Tilt is completely absent from the competition. As for PokerStars, which can not only play non-US players, they have sent a few players.
Brian Balsbaugh, representative of Poker Royalty, estimated that between them, PokerStars and Full Tilt paid between 3 and 5 million players to the WSOP through them inscribed. Since last year, this amount is reduced to almost zero.
Josh Arieh, sponsorisaient that once Full Tilt Poker and Bodog Poker, the current model can not be maintained without sponsors.
"If it continues like this, nobody can make money," says he, "except for a small elite, Jason Mercier, Bertrand" Elky "Grospellier, super talented guys."
Arieh, great professional player in the early 2000s, announced his retirement from professional poker at the end of the 2012 WSOP because he simply could gain more money.
Four aces circuit (Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson), only Negreanu is still under contract with a poker site online (ie PokerStars).
And it is not just the big names, as Full Tilt Red Pro via its device, also was sponsoring lesser known players. These contracts were not necessarily huge, but allowed players to full time to be a little safer. This is partly the loss of these contracts Arieh pushed to take a step back.U.S. players still without sponsors for Black Friday
Since Black Friday , almost any contract between U.S. players and online poker sites have been signed.
Jean-Robert Bellande, formerly sponsored by Bodog Poker, remains optimistic. It actually believe that the situation will improve when the online poker will be regulated in the United States.
"For now, it's almost impossible to get sponsorship from a site. But I think this will change once the laws have changed too. '
Bellande is one of the few players to have managed to find a sponsor outside of poker. It represents Aria Casino when participating in tournaments.
"Some, like me, are lucky enough to be sponsored by casinos hard. Aria Casino, all is well. We have the most popular poker room in Las Vegas. "
Very few players have indeed fortunate to be sponsored by large casinos. In addition, other sponsors are very far from offering many ways that websites before Black Friday.Not easy for European players
Lack of sponsors is about much more than American players. Norway's Annette Obrestad, who won the first WSOPE Main Event is young, European, talented, and in addition, she is a woman. However, it took a long time to find its current sponsor, Lock Poker, after the fall of Full Tilt Poker.
"It's very difficult to find a sponsor now. Even I had trouble when I imagine how it must be for others. At least some clubs want to sign me because I'm a girl. There are so many players who deserve it more than me to find a team. "
Despite the lack of sponsors online, WSOP continued their merry way somehow past two years, although with a slight decrease in the number of players this year.
In this context, it is quite impressive 6,598 players have participated in the Main Event this year. It is however still far from 8773 to 2006, before the U.S. legislate on online poker.This can make a difference: online poker in the United States
The measurement of the situation may now really be taken at the WSOP 2013, when the last dollar online poker have been spent and many players will be on the most profitable careers.
"While online poker is not legal and that there will be no new influx of money to attract new players, the situation will not improve," said Arieh.
Online poker seems ready to make his return to the United States, with companies such as Las Vegas Station Casino South Point Casino and have recently launched sites to play poker online for free. However, the legalization of poker in the United States would be far to lift all questions.
It is impossible to predict how the game will be taxed, the amount of the levy, or how cost licenses. If the rake is too high, even the best players can be difficult to live poker.
So of course, the worst case scenario could be beneficial for amateur players, who no longer have to confront professionals in every tournament sponsored 1500 WSOP $.
The problem is that the amount of money put into play could also drop significantly.
Anyway, it is likely that the poker world has changed a lot by the WSOP 2013. Appointment in a year?
