How Can Poker Bring Back the Recs?

For too long, online poker had been straying away from the roots of the game. Poker is a game built around friends, good stories, and good times. But like all other things in this world, the advent of the internet brought change to the ethos surrounding poker. As the idea that you too could make boatloads of money by playing a card game online took off, the drive to tame and perfect the free wheeling gamble inherent to No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em was on.

The change saw old strategies challenged and brought a ton of new concepts and ideas as well. However, while the advent of the HUD, 24 tabling, and learning to balance your 4 bet bluffing range on the River were fun for a time, they eventually began to lose their luster for the average player just looking to play some cards. A simpler way to put that would be this - the game stopped being fun, and that was a problem.

Today, there is an increasing movement to rectify that, and strike a new equilibrium between strategy and degenerate gambling in online poker. Everyone agrees it’s time to bring back the recreational player. The only questions that remains is how to do it.

The future is with Twitch

Twitch live streaming is without a doubt the biggest thing that online poker has going for it right now. During the poker boom, grinding was strictly done solo or in small study groups of friends. Today, that limitation has been completely obliterated in favor of a model where you can share your highs and lows with the entire world online.

And make no mistake about it, this is resonating with the gaming community. Because the format is by definition unedited and unfiltered, Poker as an amateur entertainment product is a niche that needs to continue to be explored and expanded. However, the experience is still hampered by the fact that it remains a more or less passive activity. To truly bring back the recreational player base, it needs to become increasingly interactive. As far as I’m concerned, that is the next frontier.

How to cultivate a more interactive experience?

Of course, doing something like creating a more interactive experience is certainly easier said than done. I do have some concrete suggestions though, which I’ve outlined below.

Watch fans’ streams and do commentary

I’d love to see more Twitch personalities actively watching several fan streams, say, across different play within the same tournament. Although this may require the community to reconsider the boundaries of ethical behavior, I think it’s a downside that can be dealt with in consideration of the huge possible upside.

This type of setup would create more of a “story” atmosphere that would not only be more exciting in the moment as viewers can root for multiple “horses”, but it would also cultivate increase intrigued around the concept of a poker tournament for viewers. All of this would not only increase the likelihood that new players will want to play, but it would also go far towards building a new poker culture that could further attract new blood into the game.

Win a chance to be live on-stream

I’m really surprised that this hasn’t been done yet. Cultivating the celebrity culture that surrounds Twitch and using it as an outlet for anyone to get a bit of the spotlight would be a huge motivators for people to get online and grind. Although it might seem problematic for a streamer to welcome someone into their home, streams where there are “guest” fans could be done at a neutral site (even a popular area bar or nightclub), making privacy a non-issue.

Guest appearances could easily be tied into some kind of play-in promotion such as winning a tournament, or even a “stream home games” leader board. Such a set-up would require multiple playing sessions, further increasing interest and time spent playing the game.

Organize live-poker tournaments for stream members

Another creative way to increase participation and interaction would be to hold live events that you could only qualify for via the stream. PokerStars’ Jason Somerville’s Twitch stream did something along these lines when he gave a seat away to RunItUp Reno. Instead of giving away just one seat to an open-field even though, I think it would be great if you could have a stream-exclusive one.

To help alleviate the problems surrounding schedules and distance, these type of events could be held at other big poker events that players want to attend. For example, there might be a private 9 handed sit & go held in a suite at the Rio during the World Series of Poker.

Innovation is key

One this is for sure - the old ways of attracting players though rake decreases, promotional giveaways, and bigger prize pools are reaching the limits of what they can achieve. While these things will always play a role in driving interest, they are no longer enough in a world where everyone is seeking authentic, interactive, experiences.

Luckily for poker, it’s one of the most interactive games offering a great experience for old and new players alike. That’s why as long as those that love it continue to look for new ways to keep in relevant in the popular culture, it will continue to an attractive game for new players.