Where Now For Poker?

What a memorable year 2011 was for poker — but largely for the wrong reasons.
The U.S. Department of Justice indictments, the withdrawal of the market leading poker sites in the States, the collapse of Full Tilt Poker, the reputational damage sustained, the frozen bankrolls, industry redundancies, bitter recriminations. Could it have gotten any worse? Probably not.

However there are reasons to be cheerful that poker can rebound in 2012.
Group Bernard Tapie will hopefully ride to the rescue of Fill Tilt poker bankrolls everywhere (I think it’s fair to say no one really wants Full Tilt back, just their money and a rebranded product) but even if it doesn’t there is likely to be some move towards significant resolution of this most damaging of situations that could barely have been imagined 12 months ago.

Live poker is undergoing a golden era with a slew of mid-buy in tours and a resurgent World Poker Tour, the new North American Casino Poker Tour, and the high-profile Epic Poker Tour proving poker is still, essentially, a social game.

Regulation and licensing is progressing all over the world from Denmark and Spain to Nevada and California and, while often flawed in its initial incarnation, it’s a welcome step towards legitimising and destigmatising poker, particularly in the aftermath of the Full Tilt debacle.

In Pius Heinz, Martin Staszko, and Ben Lamb we found pan-continental superstars in the final three of the World Series of Poker main event — particularly significant is Heinz from Germany where online poker is struggling to be recognised. The fresh-faced and amicable young student could hardly be a better advertisement for the game.

Indeed the World Series of Poker was as big as ever in 2011 and despite some pundits suggesting 2012 could be a different story no one has told Caesars Entertainment (formerly Harrah’s) which has already reportedly signed up over a score of players for a $1 million buy-in event.

In Macau a consortium of Chinese businesses are also in the market to put on a $100 million game (see feature in this issue). Pie in the sky? Perhaps, but it is just the sort of bullish attitude that built the industry and must now be central to its rejuvenation.

Some brighter notes were also sounded on the business side of he industry where 888 showed that online poker companies could innovate to turn their fortunes around.
Both it and bwin.party also headed the charge to enter the U.S. market and show our American bricks and mortar casino cousins the way ahead as it lies online.

So overall there is much to be optimistic about and, in the meantime, all we can do is keep playing and trying to win. Happy New Year and good luck at the tables in 2012. ♠