Online poker continues to be big in 2023. The game has been taken to new heights thanks to its popularity, and not least – thanks to the arrival of new platforms where players can enjoy the game first-hand.
With each year, there tend to be somewhat different trends in the game. For example, if you go back to 2006, poker suddenly ended in the doldrums because of high-handed policies that suppressed the game.
But hey, things have improved so much since then, and we are witnessing the golden age of the game. Poker is bound to become way busier over the coming years, as more players join and more markets become legal and available. Let’s check out what some of the biggest trends this year are anyway!
Online Player Base Continues to Go Up
The first trend in poker that we have all noticed is the game’s online community, which has been increasing steadily over the past months. There are many reasons for that. The pandemic in 2020 drove online traffic, as many players were unable to attend in-person events or were unwilling to.
Although some of this interest has waned with the opening up of land-based venues and card rooms, many players discovered online poker for the very first time, and they loved it.
But this alone has not been the only decisive factor. More jurisdictions in the United States have been pushing to make online poker legal. Rhode Island is a good example of such a place, as the state legalized online poker in June 2023.
Players have been also exploring many other places and websites that are accessible to them, such as some awesome USA poker sites shown here, which will help you always play at some of the best card rooms, bringing you the most worthwhile options.
The exact popularity of online poker this year is a bit hard to tell in actual numbers, but about 2,500 players are playing online poker in the United States on authorized websites, such as those found in New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, and Delaware. Rhode Island has not yet gone live, although online poker is indeed legal in the state.
The Rise of the Casual Poker Streamer
One of the biggest ambassadors for the game of online poker has been the community and the rise of the casual live streamer. Casual live streamers may not play with the highest amounts or even participate in particularly interesting games, but there is a lot of community momentum building up around them.
Platforms such as Kick, Twitch, and YouTube, are happy to allow online poker content providing that it’s based on a popular brand, such as PokerStars, partypoker, or another licensed website, which makes it so much fun when you are looking to enjoy yourself in the long-term, as you can share your love for poker with others.
That’s the whole idea of the casual poker streaming experience. You don’t have to be particularly good – nobody expects you to. However, with so many new players coming to the hobby, they are happy to see someone who is playing hard or even just having fun with the game – win or lose.
This is a good mental attitude that will help you get inspired and motivated and seek to improve your own poker game. Casual streamers play a very important role in the community, and having an ecosystem of such streamers is usually better than watching one or two streams of the best players because they are the only ones around.
The best news? You may know little to nothing about the game of poker and turn it into your journey into a spectacle for poker lovers all over the world. The power of Twitch is that of connecting people and here is your chance to spread your passion for poker, no matter what your skill level. Remember to just bring a healthy attitude and join one of the biggest online trends in poker this year!
Women Storming the Green Felt
The year 2023 will be marked by the arrival of women players in droves. The success stories of ambassadors such as Vanessa Selbst, Maria Konnikova, Maria Ho, and Liv Boeree have smashed gender stereotypes about poker being a predominantly male domain.
If you look at the total winnings of these four players, you will quickly realize that they are a menace at the green felt. Interestingly, all four of them are exceptionally intelligent, as they have graduated from various universities, and in degrees such as law, psychology, maths, and so much more.
Regardless of their stature or education, women are flocking to online poker this year, and they are hoping to make an even bigger name for themselves. Poker, though, is not a game that is the exclusive area of expertise of men, and we can see that in 2023 as the landscape is shaping up towards an equal ratio of both sexes.
Also read: How to Practice Effectively and Win More Poker Games