Poker: Everyone’s Favourite Card Game is Now a Major Esports Attraction

With its massively popular variants and robust physical presence over the decades, poker has quickly become a popular online game. World Poker Tour estimates that more than 100 million online poker players are active worldwide.

For years, poker has been the bastion of pro players who knew the game inside out. It was difficult for new players to try their poker hands with success in a physical game. However, new poker enthusiasts are getting a much-needed learning curve with online poker offering free games. Online poker and its e-sporting popularity have made it a level playing field with free events and learning engagements.

Poker: Building Up for a Revolution

A game called Poque has been popular in France since the 17^th century. As French settlers anchored in North America, the game evolved into modern poker over the years. The Gold Rush in 19^th century America solidified the game’s popularity, while the last century saw the spawning of popular variants like Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Seven Card Stud.

The World Series of Poker has been popularising the game for the last five decades, while the televised coverage of the events made a sporting spectacle out of it. Needless to say, by the start of this century, poker was poised to gain millions of followers on the online platform.

Poker Shines Online

For the many popular card game platforms like Pocket 52, poker proved to be a ready-to-use product. Once you develop and market an online poker platform, its popularity among online gamers is inevitable.

Besides, in the early days of online poker, the televised broadcast of poker games also contributed to its online popularity. For instance, a player named Chris Moneymaker connected online to the 2003 World Series of Poker with a buy-in of $86. He went on to earn over $2.5 million in the event. This was seen by watchers worldwide, intriguing them about the concept of poker as an esport.

By the end of the decade, online poker platforms were firmly established in the gaming landscape. A survey in 2010 revealed that 25 to 30% of online poker players used four or more poker websites. During this decade, active players in poker platforms doubled annually, particularly between 2003 and 2006. The average growth in the online poker community has been around 34% per annum.

The COVID-19 pandemic had an almost immediate effect on the propensity of gamers to shift to online platforms. Poker was no exception, as the online poker gaming market increased by nearly 43% during the lockdown. With online platforms replicating all the fun and entertainment of playing poker hands, players loved the add-on features like high levels of cyber security, free gaming options, guidance notes on the game and so on.

As poker fully evolved into a popular e-sport, a look at the patterns in the online format is worth considering.

Key Patterns in Online Poker

On one hand, poker is spreading from its traditional stronghold in North America and reaching out to a wider audience. On the other hand, it is also marching towards more diverse player demographics. For a large part of its online existence, poker has been heavily dominated by the young and digitally-savvy North American populations.

Even now, more than 40% of online poker players are in the age group of 18 to 25 years. Online poker has also achieved some course corrections in terms of gender dynamics. Female participation in live poker tournaments was a paltry 5%. While gender identity concealment makes it challenging to ascertain this percentage in the online format, an estimated 33% of online poker players are women.

When it comes to its international reach, a ranking reveals that Brazil is ahead of traditional heavyweights like the US and the UK when it comes to total leaderboard points from the country. Other European countries like Austria, Portugal, Sweden, and Russia feature towards the top of the PokerStake Countries Ranking.

Thanks to its global popularity, the online poker market size is set to increase at a 13.5% CAGR between 2022 and 2030. Speaking of 2030, here is a look at what we can expect in the world of online poker in the future.

What’s Next for Online Poker?

Now that the gamers are all aboard the online and esports arenas, it is time for the spectacle to begin. Technological advancements are sweeping the global gaming landscape, and poker is no exception.

The use of Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) is already presenting a vibrant gaming experience. In the days ahead, AR/VR capabilities can enhance the online poker playing experience into a more immersive one. The use of blockchain technology is already adding a layer of transparency and security in gaming. In the future, we can see greater use of these technologies and cryptocurrency acceptance in poker platforms. These innovations are making poker popular as an esports in events like the World Series of Poker.

This steady collaboration of technology and entrepreneurship continues to strengthen online poker across the world.