Poker … Then and Now — Part I

Since this is my first column in 2010, happy new year! I hope 2010 brings you lots of good times, good health, and good friends. Where does the time go? Thirty years ago, I struggled with the idea of quitting my secure, high-level government job to move to Las Vegas to play poker for a living. Las Vegas won! In 1980, I packed all of my worldly belongings and moved to Las Vegas to become a professional poker player. The 1980 poker scene was a lot different than the 2010 poker scene. In this column and the next, I’d like to share some of those differences with you.

1. Only a handful of women played poker in 1980. Oftentimes, there would be only one or two other women in the poker room when I played. Not many women worked as poker dealers or in poker management, either. Obviously, this has changed over the past 30 years. Today, women are playing (and winning) in large numbers, and some of the most important jobs in the poker industry are filled by women. Many cardrooms hold frequent ladies-only events. The number of participants in the World Series of Poker ladies event has grown tenfold from 1980 to 2010. There are numerous ladies-only poker tours, including LIPS (Ladies International Poker Series), LPA (Ladies Poker Association), and HHPT (High Heels Poker Tour), and several online poker discussion forums, including LadyPokerSharks.com and Pokerchix.com. I apologize to any women’s poker groups that I have overlooked here, as I am sure there are many.

2. Another extreme difference in the past 30 years of poker is the age of the participants. Poker used to be predominantly an older person’s game. Although there are no statistics that I am aware of to back this up, I estimate that in the ’80s, the average age of a poker player was at least 50. Today, obviously, young people abound in poker rooms and online poker sites. In fact, when I was the announcer at one of the World Poker Tour events in Nassau, no two ages of the final-table players added together equaled my age. It used to be that one would be thrilled to see a youngster sit down to play, because he couldn’t have much experience at such a young age. Not anymore! Players can get 10 years of experience in less than a year by playing online. I know one 29-year-old who already has played many more hands of poker than Doyle Brunson!

3. In 1980, all poker rooms allowed smoking. Compare that to today’s poker rooms, where those that allow smoking are almost nonexistent. Even Costa Rica and Japan, where almost everyone smokes, now have nonsmoking tournaments.

4. Player and dealer abuse has significantly declined in the last 30 years. I’ve often been quoted as saying that in 1980, I would not have wanted to take my mother into a poker room, because of the profanity and disrespect that many players heaped on their opponents. Dealers were cussed and screamed at, and had to move quickly to avoid being hit by the cards that were thrown at them. Today, I’m proud to have Mom accompany me when I go out to play, because the 2010 cardroom environment is so pleasant. Today, outrageous, rude behavior, though rare, will most likely be met with a stern warning, a penalty, or some form of disciplinary action from cardroom personnel. In 2010, the poker world is a much kinder and gentler place than it was 30 years ago.

5. The sheer number of poker players has dramatically increased since 1980. I knew probably 90 percent of the players who played in the WSOP 30 years ago; in 2010, I will be surprised if I know 5 percent of the field. Thirty years ago, we never could have imagined that more than 6,000 players would participate in a $10,000 tournament!

6. Tournaments have changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Picture this: The tournament director used to walk around with a kitchen timer on his lapel, and if you wanted to know how much time was left in the round, you had to hunt him down. There was no tournament clock on a screen to tell you how many players were left, what the blinds were, and so on. There was no such thing as a deep-stack tournament; if the buy-in was $400, players got 400 in tournament chips. There was no such thing as paying 10 percent or more of the field. In 1980, I entered a WSOP event for the first time and finished fifth out of approximately 95 players. Sadly for me, only the top three finishers were paid back then. There was no Tournament Directors Association in 1980 to ensure that basic tournament rules were standard. There were no penalties to help prevent abuse. Only 12-15 tournaments comprised the WSOP in 1980, compared to 57 today. Satellites had not yet been invented, so if you wanted to play in a tournament, you had to come up with all of the buy-in to enter.

The poker world sure has changed a lot since 1980. In 2010, I’ll be participating in poker activities that were unheard of 30 years ago — like playing online poker, taking a vacation with Card Player Cruises, playing on SpadeClub, teaching WPT Boot Camps, lobbying for the Poker Players Alliance, and hosting charity events, to name just a few. I hope that you are fully able to enjoy our awesome poker world in 2010.

Now, let’s play poker!

If you are interested in having Linda Johnson host your next poker event or teach a poker seminar, or would like information about Card Player Cruises, please e-mail her at [email protected].