Everyone\ncan have their own opinion on what defines a \u201cpoker boom\u201d, but the numbers\ndon\u2019t lie – we see the massive growth of interest in online poker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is a graph from Google Trends indicating the popularity of search term \u201conline poker,\u201d which reached an all-time high for the last five years with quite a significant margin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can see\nsimilar stats if we filter out specific countries and some other related\nkeywords, so it is clear that the interest is growing, and that actually looks\nlike a boom at the moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, you\nmight think that search alone is not indicating all that much, but it does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nclearly transitions into more players at the tables, and famous Sunday Million\ntournament proves this to be true by breaking all of the records both in\nattendee numbers and prizes as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is the\nbiggest tournament event on Pokerstars so far in regards to payouts, including\nevents on well-known poker boom in the USA back in the days when everyone could\nfreely enjoy online poker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of\nthat, it just smashed last year’s record by quite a big margin, where there were\n\u201conly\u201d 61,342 entries and $12,268,400 in prizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you see,\nthe difference is enormous, so we can\u2019t say that this is just a coincidence that\nhappened without any influence of the coronavirus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I would say\nthat we clearly see an online poker boom in front of us, but the biggest\nquestion is if it can last when we finally deal with the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While COVID-19 is forcing everyone to cancel live events<\/a> around the world and closing down land-based casinos<\/a>, it\u2019s clear that interest in online poker is rapidly growing, with more players joining the scene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So who is\ncoming into the games, and why the online industry is skyrocketing at the\nmoment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone who\nplayed live poker for a living pre-pandemic will surely transition to online\ngames, as this is the best alternative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course,\nsome of the players will simply wait until all of this mess is over, and only start\nplaying when casinos are open again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However,\nmost of them will join online action and start playing some tournaments and\ncash games for some income, entertainment, and to keep their skills sharp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from\npoker professionals, there is a large group of recreational players who mostly\nplay poker for fun either with their friends or occasionally visit casinos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These\nplayers already love poker, and they are now stuck at home for an extended\nperiod of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I guess it\nis not that hard to predict what they will play when they want to have some fun\nand take thought away from everyday problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is\nlikely that instead of playing once per week, they will do it more often and\nwill play a significant part in sustaining growing interest in online poker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve\nalready seen how people who who don\u2019t usually play poker are now joining the\ntournaments to trytheir luck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As previously\nmentioned, Sunday Million is the perfect example since the room needed to attract new players\nto break the previous record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The winner of 14th<\/sup> Anniversary Sunday Million was by no means a professional player. He qualified from $11 satellite to $215 event and then took it all down, raking a total of $1,192,802.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Poker rooms\nare trying to take advantage of this situation and offer cheaper tournaments\nand satellites that are perfect for new players, and it is one of the reasons\nwhy some are joining the table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, there are many other players in between these groups, who will also play their part in this boom. Until we come out the other side of the pandemic, there is no way that online poker could start declining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However,\nthe biggest question is how it will change the poker landscape in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No one knows for sure, but we could already be almost certain that WSOP<\/a> will not take place in the same form and amplitude as before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some WSOP events will likely be moved to an online setting, and players will battle it out while sitting at home. Many players are placing bets<\/a> on whether the WSOP will kick off on May 26 as planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-trends.png\")
What Does it Mean For Poker at The Moment?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Live poker pros<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Recreational live players<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
General population looking to have some fun<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How it Might Affect The Poker Landscape <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n