Online Poker - Is Holdem Still Profitable Looking Into 2011?
Online Poker - Is Holdem Still Profitable Looking Into 2011?
Poker clearly is getting tougher and tougher. In today's games the majority of players on the tables are knowledgeable about the game. Players are getting better and better over time. More players are flocking to the game to cash in on potential profits.
Many players are screaming the games are getting to the point of being too tough. There is some truth to this but it is not entirely the way I see it. Looking back to several years a go, the games were easier, but it was more difficult to become a great player. Today we have far more multitabling tools and better poker software than we did some time a go. LCDs and monitors have fallen in price. With more and more winning players teaching poker, there is a significant number of very skilled poker mentors out there. Its so much easier to go from beginner to pro in a shorter time than it used to take. Its so much easier to perfect your skills and exploit your opponents.
From a new players perspective, there is still plenty of incentive to move up the poker ladder. You may need a larger skill level to beat the low and mid stakes games, but nowadays it so much easier to get those skills. With multitabling, experience is quickly obtained also.
At the higher stakes, things are certainly suffering with decent experienced players grinding their way up to these stakes on a regular basis. New players who are not skilled at the game rarely show up in the big games these days, since most of them have already given poker a try. Existing bad players are disappearing after unsustainable losses, or worse yet have learned to become the winners. This all adds up to diminishing value playing at the higher stakes.
The good news is deeper stacked games, often with antes, are becoming a trend at the bigger poker rooms. With such games the skill levels and player types often vastly differ. With 100 big blind games there are too many situations in which highly skilled players know the optimum way to play. In deeper stacked games, there are fewer mathematical based plays with a correct line to take. As a result hand reading, psychology, game flow, deception, mixing it up, aggression, and style become more important. There are more opinion differences in these games regarding the best way to play. Just look at Doyle Brunson and Tom Dwan playing on the same table with completely different styles, both expecting to win.
There are far less "standard" lines in games with more than 200 big blinds that still allow lots of room for players to profit well. You can no longer rely so much on others teaching you to play optimally in these games. More effort has to be made on the part of the player to establish how to stand out and maximize profits at the higher stakes amongst other knowledgeable players.
Despite numerous changes, 2011 and onwards can still be a profitable year for all in the poker world.
Poker clearly is getting tougher and tougher. In today's games the majority of players on the tables are knowledgeable about the game. Players are getting better and better over time. More players are flocking to the game to cash in on potential profits.
Many players are screaming the games are getting to the point of being too tough. There is some truth to this but it is not entirely the way I see it. Looking back to several years a go, the games were easier, but it was more difficult to become a great player. Today we have far more multitabling tools and better poker software than we did some time a go. LCDs and monitors have fallen in price. With more and more winning players teaching poker, there is a significant number of very skilled poker mentors out there. Its so much easier to go from beginner to pro in a shorter time than it used to take. Its so much easier to perfect your skills and exploit your opponents.
From a new players perspective, there is still plenty of incentive to move up the poker ladder. You may need a larger skill level to beat the low and mid stakes games, but nowadays it so much easier to get those skills. With multitabling, experience is quickly obtained also.
At the higher stakes, things are certainly suffering with decent experienced players grinding their way up to these stakes on a regular basis. New players who are not skilled at the game rarely show up in the big games these days, since most of them have already given poker a try. Existing bad players are disappearing after unsustainable losses, or worse yet have learned to become the winners. This all adds up to diminishing value playing at the higher stakes.
The good news is deeper stacked games, often with antes, are becoming a trend at the bigger poker rooms. With such games the skill levels and player types often vastly differ. With 100 big blind games there are too many situations in which highly skilled players know the optimum way to play. In deeper stacked games, there are fewer mathematical based plays with a correct line to take. As a result hand reading, psychology, game flow, deception, mixing it up, aggression, and style become more important. There are more opinion differences in these games regarding the best way to play. Just look at Doyle Brunson and Tom Dwan playing on the same table with completely different styles, both expecting to win.
There are far less "standard" lines in games with more than 200 big blinds that still allow lots of room for players to profit well. You can no longer rely so much on others teaching you to play optimally in these games. More effort has to be made on the part of the player to establish how to stand out and maximize profits at the higher stakes amongst other knowledgeable players.
Despite numerous changes, 2011 and onwards can still be a profitable year for all in the poker world.
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