effect of on-line poker downturn

Central Limit · #1 01-23-2007, 10:37 AM

Has the on-line gambling ban led to an increase in poker at Brick & Mortar cardrooms? Anyone have any sense of this?

It could conceivably go this way, right: on-line poker created tens of thousands of new poker players, then on-line poker goes into the tank, so many on-line players make the switch to B&M to keep playing.

I'm not saying it has gone this way. I'm just hopefull that it could. Anybody notice any changes in their local cardrooms?

Paul Levy · #2 01-23-2007, 05:06 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Has the on-line gambling ban led to an increase in poker at Brick & Mortar cardrooms? Anyone have any sense of this?

It could conceivably go this way, right: on-line poker created tens of thousands of new poker players, then on-line poker goes into the tank, so many on-line players make the switch to B&M to keep playing.

I'm not saying it has gone this way. I'm just hopefull that it could. Anybody notice any changes in their local cardrooms?

[/ QUOTE ]

It certainly has changed for me: I find that there are not many loose passive players left at full ring mid stakes NL tables, and the games have got much harder - at least for me.

Meanwhile, I found a card room where they spread an incredibly soft $6/$12 PLHE game, so I started playing less online and more live. I'm seriously thinking of relocating close to that casino to be able to play there on weeknights instead of weekends only.

It's already been said many times, but I really believe that the difference between online and live play for comparable stakes is so massive it defies comprehension.

In any case, please note that in my example the switch from online to live is a 'second-order effect' - that is I'm not prevented from playing, it's just that I don't find it that worth anymore.

SplawnDarts · #3 01-23-2007, 05:12 PM

I've noticed a certain influx of people who play pretty mechanically sound poker but are very poor at reading people and very easy to read themselves. I assume they're online refugees but I've never asked.

I like it - they're very predictable in comparison to the usual live crowd. I always felt that online poker devalued the game, so I'm just as glad the recluses are getting out and playing in the real world.

Frond · #4 01-23-2007, 05:20 PM

I played yestray on Stars: LHE .50-1 and it was the tightest that I have ever seen this level before on line. It was so tight that it got to be kind of boring in a way. It played like higher stakes game with 2-3 to the flop and hardly ever more than 4 seeing the flop. I played the opposite and did okay for the limited time that I did play.

I have also noticed many more home games popping up in teh last few months. Coincidence?

bellatrix · #5 01-23-2007, 05:31 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Has the on-line gambling ban led to an increase in poker at Brick & Mortar cardrooms? Anyone have any sense of this?

It could conceivably go this way, right: on-line poker created tens of thousands of new poker players, then on-line poker goes into the tank, so many on-line players make the switch to B&M to keep playing.

I'm not saying it has gone this way. I'm just hopefull that it could. Anybody notice any changes in their local cardrooms?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, there is an influx, but not overly huge from the online world. Perhaps each table gets a new online player. I notice they are very quiet, don't fiddle with chips and sometimes tell bad beat stories from some online tourney. I have noticed a few good players, but since we only play limit, the players are either to tight and fold to quickly, or they go on tilt. Well duh! limit and NL is very different...

However, the vast majority of the influx doesn't come from former online players, at least not regular online players. I don't know what made them take up poker, but they're there. And the influx has been huge, believe me. When I first started, during the weekdays, we had two tables of Hold'em going during the weekdays, at 1am they converted into one table. Now, there is hardly a day where the 5 tables are not full and they are opening new ones.

what23 · #6 01-23-2007, 05:38 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I played yestray on Stars: LHE .50-1 and it was the tightest that I have ever seen this level before on line. It was so tight that it got to be kind of boring in a way. It played like higher stakes game with 2-3 to the flop and hardly ever more than 4 seeing the flop. I played the opposite and did okay for the limited time that I did play.

I have also noticed many more home games popping up in teh last few months. Coincidence?

[/ QUOTE ]

my local casino the 3 6 limit is a regular 7-8 to the flop whether its raised or not. im a huge fan

Central Limit · #7 01-24-2007, 11:34 AM

[ QUOTE ]

my local casino the 3 6 limit is a regular 7-8 to the flop whether its raised or not. im a huge fan

[/ QUOTE ]

This is not directly relevant to the question I posed. You're saying essentially "Live poker is loose." Im asking about whether you've noticed any changes since the on-line poker ban has gone into effect. Is live poker looser now than previously? Is your card room seeing increased turnout? Etc...

GoAheadRiverMe · #8 01-24-2007, 09:50 PM

At the Hawaiian Gardens Tues night tournament there were 2 possibly 3 people at my 1st table that had either not played in a live tournament or live before. I Didn't ask though

Darque Nuts · #9 01-24-2007, 10:52 PM

Moneymaker won in 2003, then Raymer in 2004 and I started playing online poker towards the end of that year. I think that I may fit the average demographic of joining the party with that big wave of new online players. The explosion was reflected in the number of WSOP main event entries plus those winning seats online.

I have had winning month after month online for the past two years and will only play online if:
1) It is easy to transfer money to/from a PokerRoom
2) There are way more fish than sharks
3) I can get a check in the mail within a week.

If the bar gets raised too high, then it's ADIOS Amigos.

Frond · #10 01-24-2007, 11:27 PM

Well, no I don't sense that the ban has led to a huge increase in B&Ms. I think it will have a positive increase effect on live play if the time comes that there truly is no way to tranfer money to sites(such as is starting to go on now) and the new law truly gets inforced. Then there may be an influx of players who play a lot of online poker into live play.

We may see a pro win the Main Event within a few years. Fewer online satellite entries may reduce the field a lot in the coming years. Who knows?