How Far-Reaching the Shock Wave

by Warren Karp | Published: Nov 19, 2004

When I first started writing this column, my main purpose was to educate new players so they wouldn't be intimidated when walking into a casino. Self-serving in some ways, I wanted to make certain there would be plenty of people at the poker tables as I got older, because so few "youngsters" were in the game.

Well, so much for that concern! With the success of poker on television, we now have a shock wave of attention that is continuing to ripple from the initial blast. The numbers of players in tournaments are staggering, particularly in the no-limit hold'em events. Gone are the days when you had to decide whether there was an overlay in an event or if the first-place prize justified the cost of the buy-in.

The effects, however, are more far-reaching than in the televised tournaments and the casinos that host these events. In many of the conversations I've had with casino owners and managers, I've asked the question, "Why haven't you tried to get a televised event here at your casino?" The answer is usually the same: "Why should I spend the money to join a tour when I'm benefiting from the tour down the street?"

Looking around their casinos, they may be right. The tables are packed, with waiting lists for all of them. More importantly, the average age of the everyday player is going down dramatically.

Last year, while I was at the Legends of Poker tournament at the Bike, I saw that they had hired a new no-limit hold'em host. The games had small buy-ins, but were well-attended. Things started slowly, but once the cards were in the air, the games stayed steady. When returning this year to the Bike, the growth was visually astounding to me; they'd broken down a wall and created a whole new 10-table section just for no-limit hold'em. I asked what limits they were spreading, and they encompassed the whole spectrum. No longer were these games played with just $2-$5 blinds. The blinds and buy-ins now go all the way up to $10-$25 with a $1,000 buy-in.

I guess the growth isn't a total surprise; after all, what some of us do every day as work is looked at as a "very cool" way to earn a living. What is a surprise, however, is the number of young players sitting in the big buy-in game. And the big question is, where are they getting the money?

This leads to an even deeper question: What happens when players in their early 20s find $2,000 or even $5,000 wins and losses commonplace? The answer to this question could take up another entire column, but suffice it to say that there will be some fallout from this, some positive and some negative.

In the meantime, our game is getting prettier. In years gone by, you were hard-pressed to walk into a casino and see a pretty face in a seat other than the dealer's chair. Now, guys are bringing their girlfriends, and the sweaters in our industry are wearing, well, sweaters. And the girls are not just watching, they're learning. One day they're sitting behind a player, the next day they are the player. When asked, "Where's your boyfriend?" the response is often, "I left him home tonight." Casinos are also becoming meeting places, with their bars as packed as the rails. This has opened up new revenue streams for casinos, and the smart ones are marketing to it.

All of this brick-and-mortar action hasn't hurt online poker one bit, either. In fact, it has increased the appeal of playing at home. When these players aren't in the casinos, they're online, some in multiple games, others on multiple sites. Many online poker rooms don't want players going broke too fast, so they limit the number of no-limit hold'em tables, and the lists are long and steady. New sites are popping up all around us, and some trusted older sites are hiring consultants like me to help them grow with the explosion.

When will this shock wave, which has reached so far and wide, give way to quieter times? Among the insiders I've talked to, all say the same thing: "No time soon."

Come and join us.