Online Poker Evolution in the 21st Century

Poker has been known to the world for almost two hundred years. The online version of this popular game, compared to this figure, appeared not so long ago. In recent years, online poker has experienced a real peak in popularity, thus changing the traditional face of the game. In this article, we will cover the main dates and events that have contributed to the online poker evolution. Let’s get it started!

The First Online Poker Room

The world of online poker was opened by the small room Planet Poker on January 1, 1998. The creators of the resource were Randy Bloomer and his colleagues. Moreover, it took only a couple of months from the beginning of preparation to launch. Meanwhile, there was only one game here – classic Texas Holdem. Also, it was possible to play with the limits of three and six dollars. The poker players quickly learned about the new opportunity and gradually came to the resource. The popularity of online poker grew, and in February, the game at the tables at Planet Poker continued even at night. By the summer, the range of games was expanded. Besides, there was a support service and the ability to carry out transactions using a bank card.

However, the room was not destined to walk in the rank of a monopolist forever during the online poker revolution. The next year – in 1999 – the Paradise Poker room was opened, which won the championship for a long time. Meanwhile, in the spring of 2000, a new service, Poker Sport, appeared, founded by the successful and famous poker player Dutch Boyd. Indeed, tournaments became the main feature of this room. True, even a unique opportunity at that time did not allow PokerSport to stay afloat. Unfortunately, the firm went bankrupt. It was a long time before the modern online poker sites in the USA appeared. But what happened next? 

Online Poker Evolution: The Time Of the Appearance Of The Giants

Indeed, 2001 is considered to be a successful year in the development of online poker. This year the current giants have appeared on the market – PartyPoker and PokerStars. Behind them, other rooms also began to open, which are still working. Until 2003, Paradise Poker held the leading position. Moreover, PartyPoker and PokerStars did not hesitate and took steps towards their future leadership. Moreover, Stars followed the path of development of tournament poker. They actively sent the best players in the room to live tournaments. 

Besides, the world fame of the PokerStars service was brought by the grandiose victory of the regular accountant Chris Moneymaker at the main event of the WSOP. It is noteworthy that this was his first offline tournament, to which he got through the qualifying matches at PokerStars. Winning from the comfort of your own home – This Is Why You Should Play Online Poker! If until 2004 there were only individual rooms on the market, then this year networks came into play – software providers for online casinos. Indeed, they knew how to make software, how to attract customers. This year, the following entered the online poker market:

• Microgaming;
• Cryptologic;
• iPoker;
• Boss Media.

A little later, another large game network appeared – Intertops Poker. Till today millions of newbies and pros enjoy their favorite hobby online!

Trends in Poker

Today we will speculate on the “online poker ecology”: what are the trends, where are we going, and what awaits us in the coming years. At the end of May, a suggestion appeared on the TwoPlusTwo forum, in which one of the users suggested changing the traditional rules of online poker – to make life easier for amateurs. The very fact that such a topic has arisen already speaks volumes. Discussions immediately began: criticism of “pros” fell upon the creator of the theme like a waterfall. Here’s what was suggested:

1. Disable any HUDs;
2. Set a limit on the number of simultaneously open tables to 4;
3. Seating players at random tables;
4. Deny access to hand history (except for fraud investigation);
5. Segregation of players by win rate and limits;
6. Play exclusively under a real name with IP-address verification, without using VPN and similar services.

As radical as these proposals sound, some of them may be put into operation shortly. Read more about Online Poker Tendencies 2021. 

Online Poker Evolution: Formulation of the Problem

Online poker evolution is taking place before our eyes, so we seem to overlook many important changes or do not attach due importance to them. For several years now, all professional players have been saying that the times are not the same, the level of competition is off the scale, and profits have dropped sharply. Too much has already been saying about this. Nowadays, not a single successful online player can do without special programs and services – be it statistical software with a HUD or a site for buying hand histories. Indeed, this is not considered shameful or something advanced. This is the industry standard. 

Bamhunting has crossed all ethical and technical boundaries. For many hours, a professional can wait for his prey, sitting at heads-up tables or in the company of other sharks at ordinary tables; and all of them will sit out until a weak player sits down. Unfortunately, special scripts have appeared that allow a professional to automatically follow the “fish” – where it is, there, and about. This behavior is unacceptable. In poker, money is made on the weak – a fact, but everything has boundaries. And from this point of view, some of the innovations already introduced deserve respect. Online poker sites in the USA also vote for the new gambling ecology. 

Improvements to Poker Ecology

The trend towards encouraging amateurs emerged a couple of years ago. Last August, Intertops Poker announced a new course for a bright future for all professionals and non-professionals. Then these words were not taken very seriously – just another marketing chatter and nothing more. However, then a whole wave of changes began: in Revolution Gaming, Party Poker, even Full Tilt Poker, and other rooms and networks. For example, here are the basic principles of fair play at Lock Poker:

• Over the past 10 years, the gap between beginners and professionals has widened dramatically. The former needs more time and opportunities to somehow compete with the latter.
• Successful players, middle peasants, and fish will not be completely separated from each other, but the shares of each pool will be adjusted.
• Players will be segregated based on rake, profit, win rate, etc.
• Players will not know which group they are in.
• The system will not work in SNG and MTT.

Particularly interesting is the fact that the players themselves will not know if they are fish or not. Besides, some poker rooms have cut the highest limits, leaving only mid-stakes and low-stakes. They also redesigned the incentive programs, removing the most delicious options. For example, Party Poker no longer has Palladium Elite status since April 1st of this year. And all its benefits have evenly distributed among the other statuses. Learn more about Table Selection in Online Poker 2021!

Online Poker Evolution: Conclusion

PokerStars is in no hurry to follow the path of its competitors, as it is already happy with its position. After all, all this “concern” about the environment – the purest water marketing campaign, designed to recapture some of the players from the rational group. However, FTP has recently introduced gaming tables for beginners. Their task is to protect beginners from the more experienced representatives of the poker world. Thus, they can calm the atmosphere and as soon as possible study a new kind of card game. 

The future is quite clear. So far, the exact system of separating some players from others is appearing in many rooms. Once the “beta test” is complete, the poker involution will move into the next phase – purely practical. However, the next step may be to severely restrict the software. Poker rooms do not need successful players, they need those who will play zero, bringing in huge amounts of rake or those who will make deposits. Therefore, read the Things to Know Before You Start Online Poker and visit the Intertops. Good luck!

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