Lockdown Poker
We are 6 weeks into lockdown in the UK and online poker continues to soar. Lockdown can’t stay long enough for the professionals who are seeing this as an opportunity to increase their winnings. The government has paid attention to the rise in online gambling and placed curbs on betting companies advertising on TV and radio to mitigate the increase. They are concerned, as always, that with online gambling comes the risk of gambling addiction.
Easy Money?
The increase in online poker traffic will no doubt have sparked interest from those that played years ago but left due to tough competition. We’ve had people contact us requesting they want to have one off lesson’s again to freshen up their game. This is a golden time, albeit temporarily, for the online poker world. Whether it’s cash games or tournaments, there are many more recreational players than before. The halting of almost all sports activity has clearly forced those indoors to turn to other games like poker to satisfy their urge to gamble and at that is being met with rubbing of hands by the advanced players.
USA Lockdown Poker
There are only a few states that permit online gambling in USA and all of them, without exception, saw massive year on year rises in revenue. New Jersey took $3.6 million in March, almost 91% up year on year. With almost all casinos closed, even those that are sceptical of online poker are turning their attention to online poker. The convenience of playing on PC, laptop, tablet or phone is a factor that can’t be ignored, 10 years ago, one couldn’t access online poker as easy today. There is still hope that more states will legalise online poker in the future. For now though, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Nevada residents will be the only ones enjoying poker during lockdown.
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SCOOP 2020
The Spring Championship of Online Poker started on 30th April. One of the highlights of the year for the online tournament player, this tournament serious will be busier than ever. The range of tournaments, together with 3-tiered level of buy-ins will cater to all, with low, medium and high stakes events. SCOOP 2020 will run until the 19th of May 2020 and has combined guaranteed prize pools of $13 million. In addition to buying in directly, you can try satellites to enter cheaply.
Will WSOP 2020 Go Ahead?
It was confirmed a few weeks ago that WSOP 2020 will be delayed, at least until Autumn 2020. WSOP organizers confirmed they will monitor the situation and hope to have it run later in the year. Is this realistic though? Its plausible that the rest of 2020 will see strict social distancing rules in place. How will this work at a live poker table where one is elbow to elbow with the person sitting next to them? The largest and most prestigious of poker events may see a further delay. Watch this space as things develop over the coming weeks.
Summary
Online poker is certainly going through a mini boom. It’s a fantastic moment to put in volume, make money and have some fun. It won’t last forever, as governments look to seek some sort of resumption of normal life, but it may bring in players that otherwise wouldn’t have joined. The key for online poker sites is to retain these players. If you are new to poker and reading this, check out our poker resources page to help you improve. Most important of all though, please remember to gamble responsibly.
Narciso Baldo
Narciso Baldo is the Director and Head Coach of Texas Hold'em Questions. He has been playing poker for over 16 years. After spending many years as a professional, he now runs UK poker training site Texas Hold'em Questions. Narciso regularly writes poker articles sharing tips, strategy, news and experience with gambling enthusiasts. Narciso also writes for reputable gambling portal Casino City Times, (bio here). Contact: [email protected]
