It is a burning question among the eSports community and online poker players. Those who play classic casino table games for a little bit of fun would almost certainly claim that online poker is nowhere near an eSport, but until you invest the time and effort into learning and honing your poker skills will you consider it an eSport where practice and technique makes perfect – and a lot of money to boot.
First, we have to consider what makes an eSport. Although defining this is a contentious topic, Red Bull, a keen investor in eSports tournaments, describes an eSports game as one which is “played competitively” and “prizes are available to the best players”. Red Bull breaks the success of a game as an eSport down into three categories. Let’s take a look at all three of them in relation to the world of online poker:
Playability
When we are talking about playability, we mean that a game needs to have the fun factor. It needs to draw beginners in with intrigue and excitement. Online poker certainly has the playability element in spades, with the chance to play against opponents in all four corners of the globe across a range of different poker variants and tournament formats. Poker is most definitely a skill-based game. With a growing number of variants including Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi/Lo, players can choose to specialise in certain formats of poker if they suit their mindset or approach. This can also aid a poker player’s long-term profitability by only playing games they have an “edge” in.
There is always something new to learn in online poker too. Although Texas Hold’em and other poker variants might not seem too complex on the surface, when it comes to the fine margins between success and failure with professional players, there is a huge element of strategy involved. Whether it’s mastering pot odds, making the most of your position at the table, understanding the probabilities of something happening at the tables to accurately measure your bet sizes, these skills don’t just develop overnight. They are honed over hours of practice and table experience, just like other eSports games such as DOTA 2 and League of Legends where there is always something new to grasp too.
Viewability
Caption: Every angle of the poker action at the WSOP Main Event is covered
Most successful eSports have a watchability that can encapsulate newcomers and seasoned gamers alike. Having that global audience ready and waiting to watch the biggest tournaments and live events is part and parcel of a game becoming an eSports behemoth, both for marketing and commercial reasons. Fortunately, the poker industry has a spectatorship in all four corners of the globe. Ever since the ‘poker boom’ of the mid-2000s, poker fans and amateur players have been glued to the television screens and on-demand streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch to watch the biggest poker personalities lock horns for millions of dollars in prize money.
The pace of gameplay at a poker table also aids its viewability for newcomers and seasoned players alike. The turn-based betting makes it easy for players to understand the action as it unfolds, with hole card cameras providing a unique insight into the strategies of players. These cameras alone can act as a great learning tool for budding poker players.
There have long been plenty of poker ‘personalities’ on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, many of which have attempted to educate and entertain poker fans in equal measure. Arguably the most successful online poker personality of all is Doug Polk. The 31-year-old ironically started out as a competitive eSports player himself, entering a string of World Cyber Games tournaments in Warcraft 3. At college, Polk would transition to the world of online poker and the rest is history. Polk regularly streamed live on Twitch, covering some of his high-stakes heads-up No Limit Hold’em games, while his YouTube channel was designed to provide educational poker content that newcomers and enthusiasts could digest.
Support
When it comes to support from the publishers of eSports games, they need to be able to invest time and money in honing their gaming experiences and continually providing new and exciting challenges. They can’t simply rest on their laurels. Gamers will always look for new features and environments to add an extra dimension to their gameplay.
Most online poker rooms follow suit. Whether it’s trialling new, fast-paced poker tournament formats that reach out to the casual gamers or new high-stakes tournaments that prick the ears of poker professionals worldwide, the biggest poker rooms continually innovate to push the boundaries of poker gaming.