Will the pandemic put an end to our passion for live poker?
This is a huge blow to the poker industry, which, to its credit, is picking up the pieces and finding good solutions to keep the ball rolling. For the most part, this means moving things into the virtual realm.
We are now almost six months into 2021 and things are slowly starting to get back on track. As they say, even though casinos 온라인슬롯사이트 are bringing back live tournaments and cash games, it will never be the same.
In most places you still wear a mask while playing. There are Plexiglas partitions between the players, mandatory temperature checks and all sorts of other measures.
If this trend continues, a natural question arises: will the pandemic kill our love for live poker?
Are people willing to jump through all the hoops and hoops just to play a few live hands, or will they stop trying and move the games online – or continue at all?
Live poker and the pandemic: call it a bad year
Never in the history of poker have we witnessed anything remotely similar to what happened in 2020. At one point, Las Vegas came to a complete standstill, with casinos and poker rooms completely shut down, waiting for better times. This is shocking and unprecedented.
The future of many people who work in the gambling industry hangs in the balance, not just in Vegas, but around the world.
Many poker players took a big hit at the same time. Whether semi-professional or full-time, there are many people who make a living playing live poker.
You might think that moving online is the easiest option for them, but it may not be. First, live and online poker are not the same thing.
You could say they are two different games. They require different skills and go from live to online without a proper transition period and the profit expectation is optimistic to say the least.
Second, not everyone has access to online poker.
For example, in the US there are only a few regulated states and you can only play online if you are located in one of those states. Moving to the US in the middle of a pandemic to play poker is also not a real option for many.
So there was a huge outcry from all parts of the industry in the first few months. People want live games back, but it's not possible at the moment.
So they wait patiently to see what happened, hoping for the best.
The new "Normaal": Back to live poker
After several months of complete shutdown, the live poker scene is slowly getting back on track. Everyone is excited, from the dealers and casino staff to the players. The worst is over and things are slowly starting to fall into place.
But many players are not prepared for what they find at their favorite poker room.
Government-mandated rules have not made it easy for operators. They must implement all possible precautions, from temperature checks at the door and face masks for players and staff to plastic barriers between seats and limiting the number of players at the table.
I will not enter into the enactment of any measures or attempt to argue for or against them. That's beyond the scope of this article, and frankly, it's a very moot discussion at this point.
Bottom line, the live poker published at ss-blogs experience has changed dramatically.
For those who have been in the game for a long time, this comes as a shock. As much as they expected to return to feeling, this new environment did not sit well with many. Not surprisingly, social media was flooded with comments from both sides of the fence.
Others are over the moon to be able to play live again despite the restrictions. However, others feel that all of this kills the experience and robs it of its life.
Whichever side you take, it's pretty clear that the pandemic and all that it brings has a huge impact on live poker and is weighing heavily on it.
Eventually these measures will (hopefully) become a thing of the past, but will some people lose their passion for live sports in the process? Probably.
Fear Factor: Can Live Poker Make a Comeback?
It seems that the world is finally about to leave the pandemic. Vaccinations are underway as we speak and countries around the world are lifting restrictions.
Things are slowly returning to where they were before 2020. But it may take a while for people to feel comfortable sitting in a room with hundreds of strangers breathing down their necks.
There is a lot of uncertainty in the air and many questions remain unanswered.
While things are certainly improving, it looks like we're still a long way from getting back to the "old normal".
After more than a year of fear, threats and warnings, many people are in no rush to return to their old, "carefree" lifestyle.
Some certainly do, but not everyone has the same opinion on how to handle the situation. Some in the poker community believe that things should not be rushed. Despite vaccines and a better understanding of the coronavirus, they prefer a slow and cautious approach.
You can be sure that people who share this opinion are not rushing back to many live tables.
These feelings tend to have a significant impact on the general love of live poker. Will it kill it completely? Not really, but I'm sure there will be a lot of uncertainty in the coming months, especially around big events.
Can Industry Help Follow Passion?
It is quite clear that despite all the positive changes recently, the live poker industry has some challenges to overcome to get back to where it was before.
On one hand, some players may avoid live events and games for one reason or another. On the other hand, there is also the problem of profitability. Casinos and poker rooms must meet certain expectations in order for their business to remain profitable.
In most places, poker is not exactly the main activity. This is often used as a way to attract people to the area in the hope that they will also spend some time playing the slots or visiting the pit.
With the new challenges and restrictions, many venues may not even consider hosting live poker anymore. That's a lot of trouble for very little profit, and if their capacity is reduced as it is, there can be very little reason to organize live poker. Fortunately, this is not the case for some of the biggest casinos, especially in Las Vegas, where poker has been part of their general offer for decades.
So the casinos will try to get things back on track.
For example, the WSOP has already announced that there will be a live event this year (albeit a few months later than usual), and the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.
How large an audience will they attract?
It remains to be seen, but many people are eager to play live poker and jump at the chance after a long forced hiatus. Many other Las Vegas 온라인슬롯사이트 casinos have also announced great live events and these things will surely help rekindle the love of live poker and get people back into the right mindset.
In the future, the poker industry will play a big role in what's next for live poker.
They have long struggled with the rise, but this is the only way forward.
When big venues and organizations decide they've had enough and throw in the towel, people have no choice but to accept it and move on.
Not even a pandemic will stop the biggest sports fans
man playing poker with a mask
When you read and watch the media, you always feel that the whole world has stopped in many parts of it. Well, it's no secret that the media loves drama, so they show things in a certain light for a more dramatic effect.
But people don't stop living just because things change, and they certainly don't stop playing poker.
While casinos and poker rooms may be closed, it is almost impossible to prevent people from gathering for private games. GET MORE INFO
And they rallied to do it.
I will not again enter into a discussion of the merits of such decisions. Everyone has an opinion and we'll leave it at that.
But what it clearly shows is that there is no shortage of love for live poker even in the most difficult and uncertain times.
In many places, private gaming is the only option for anyone who wants to play live, and this part of the industry is starting to grow.
Looking at the example of my city, we went from a semi-private game with relatively high stakes to four or five games that are more accessible to regular players. And poker isn't even big here.
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