The largest poker boom started in 2003. With $100, Chris ‘MoneyMaker’ bought into a cheap satellite tournament and won $2.5 million at the main event.
For many of us who started playing poker in the 90s, you would agree that it was pretty easy to win. For example, if you started with the best cards, you would win seven sessions out of 10. You didn’t have to be the best player at the table to win.
Nowadays, it takes a lot more to win the game. The tight or passive way of gameplay doesn’t work anymore. Here are a few things that have changed in the game of poker.
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Learning opportunities
Back then, you had little or no information about poker. All you need is just to surround yourself with some players who are not too good.
In that way, you’ll have a steady string of wins under your belt. However, in today’s world, there’s a lot of information available for budding poker players. On a side note, we also have online casinos. You don’t need to travel to play the game you love. Looking at the royal vegas casino review, many players prefer to use online platforms these days.
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More skills on the table
As a result of the additional resources available on the subject of poker, the skill gap has closed to a certain extent. Weak players have improved so much that competent players now have to be on their toes.
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Creative players
More players are beginning to understand that having the right cards is not enough. Lots of training sites have increased their level of creativity. Beginners are now hard to read and also difficult to play with.
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Aggressiveness
The level of aggression in this time cannot be compared to when we had 10 years ago. Today, limping is now viewed as a sign of weakness.
3-bet and 4-bet ranges have increased a great deal, and 5-bets are usually seen. The shallow-stack play has also become aggressive, and this is symptomatic of lots of training and literature.
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Mathematicians are now poker players
There were only a few logical math players on the table 10 years ago. Today, Bill Chen’s book on The Mathematics of poker is still one of the most successful books in history.
The top professionals in poker have some depth in mathematical reasoning. ‘Feel’ players who go with the flow are still winning. But the tides are changing in favour of those people who understand poker math.
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The kings of poker have left their throne
One of the key factors to success as a professional poker player is your ability to identify the actual odds in any given scenario. This method has been practised by many professional players.
However, a few of them have left the ring because they didn’t pay attention to other important factors. Sometimes, these pro players may raise the stakes without proper planning. To take a risk, they might also mismanage their bankrolls. This has made many successful players broke.
Now in this generation, many gamblers play poker full-time. To ensure more wins, lots of reading and consistent practice has to be done. Below are a few people who have been very successful in poker in 2022:
- Daniel Negreanu
- Kristen Bicknell
- David Peters
- Kathy Liebert
- Ali Imsirovic
- Liv Boeree
- Brock Wilson
- Kyna England
Conclusion
As more information on the best way to play poker is revealed, the game will become more sophisticated. It will require more skills and dedication on your part if you want to become successful.
Proper information has led to the rise of poker players who are more logical, and better than their predecessors. You can learn a thing or two from the poker players listed above.
Just look at their gameplay and see what you can do to make your game better. Wishing you the best on your journey. Cheers!