Poker and Gambling Convergence A Good Thing

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Wednesday, November 30th, 2016 | Written by Shane Larson

The world of online poker continues to evolve in order to meet the demands of an ever changing online gambling landscape. As established poker sites have found it increasingly more difficult to compete with one another while remaining profitable, they have started merging with larger operators, who view poker as just part of their overall online gambling program.

These days, most poker sites are offering more profitable casino games and sports betting products alongside their virtual poker tables, leaving many long-time players upset over the change. They fear that having other options available for gamblers will lure players away from poker and end up hurting the game’s ecosystem in the long-term.

In actuality, the addition of other games to online poker sites is likely to be more beneficial, provided that players take steps to create the right atmosphere.

Casino Games More Appealing?

The idea that online poker will be hurt by sites offering casino games and sports betting stems from a belief that there is something more appealing about those other forms of gambling. Regular online poker players seem to think that once someone tries a casino game, they will have more fun for their money, and so never want to play online poker again. But why is that?

The answer lies in the current atmosphere of many online poker sites. In the recent past, the best way to make profits playing poker was to grind, to play many games at once and earn money through rakeback and rewards. This has led to an environment where most players are focused only on volume, not on actually playing to enjoy the game, or even to necessarily win. In the meantime, for someone who comes to an online poker table for the first time, the atmosphere is often intimidating, and furthermore there may not even be any atmosphere at all, as everyone may be dead silent.

Poker players seem to be aware of this and think that once their fellow players discover other more exciting forms of gambling that they will move on.

Chance To Discover New Games

In truth, having online poker housed on a site with other gambling games means that there is actually more potential for new players to discover poker. In a brick and mortar casino, all of the games support one another. Someone who comes in to place a sports bet may stay for a couple of hands of poker, or someone may go from the poker tables to the craps table and then back again. In a similar way, online gambling sites can provide the same kind of experience, leading to more potential players, not fewer.

More Social Engagement Needed

But in order for the online poker section of the site to benefit, players need to have a good experience when they do decide to try their hand at hold ’em or some other poker variant. Sites are trying to foster that type of positive atmosphere by revamping their rewards programs to take the emphasis off of quantity; however, poker players need to do their part and make an effort to engage fellow players in conversation.

Those who are really worried about what will happen to their favorite poker site would do well to focus on how they are contributing to its success and how they can bring something fun to the table to keep those new players coming back.

Harks Back To Past Wisdom

In some ways, the need for online poker players to engage their recreational opponents in more social discourse, and to make them feel more comfortable at the tables harks back to an earlier era in which expert poker hustlers were expected to court their opponents rather than silently and methodically go about parting them from their money.

After all, if newcomers to the game didn’t at least enjoy themselves, then they are unlikely to ever want to repeat the experience. To provide an extreme example, 3-times WSOP Main Event winner Stu Ungar was considered by many to be the best pro ever to play the game. In fact, he was so adapt a player that the only criticism of his play was that he beat his opponents too quickly and so badly that they rarely wanted to gamble with him again. Obviously, this hurt his ability to maximize his returns from the game, and therein lies a cautionary tale for today’s online players. Treat your opponents well, otherwise don’t be surprised if they don’t want to come back for more.