The past year has brought several changes not only to poker, but to the way gaming events take place. In 2021, virtual remains the solution to keep tables active and the growth of online poker platforms can bring a big expansion even to large face-to-face tournaments when they are viable again.
It can be assumed that the most well-known tournaments, such as the WSOP, EPT, PARTYPOKER Millions and BSOP Millions will take place live, as usual, as soon as larger crowds are allowed. But with the success of events held online in 2020, it won't come as a surprise if some of the big ones keep this format this year.
Improvements for online platforms
With the arrival of new players growing daily, online platforms open up opportunities for beginners to enter the hobby and compete more and more. Providers that allow the use of automatic assistance can be challenging for these newbies, creating a barrier beyond the very skill of the most experienced.
This type of program does calculations and measures possibilities so that a player knows exactly how much he is risking on each bet. In order to make the game run naturally, just like a face-to-face poker table would be, the biggest poker rooms are banning this type of assistance. Thus, the player has only his mental ability and the chances are equal for everyone.
In 2021, the trend is for even the smallest platforms to adopt this policy, following in the footsteps of the big ones like PokerStars who have already created balanced environments for their players. It is important to emphasize that a fair match only happens when the competitors play fair, so it is the responsibility of each player to respect their opponents and make an honest game. Only in this way will poker continue to grow and be more and more prestigious around the world.
Increased security in the virtual world
Another complaint that players can manifest is that of scammers present at gaming tables. In an online game, this format changes to cheating programs, software that is the enemy of digital games since the emergence of competitive modalities in video games.
With the rise of online poker, platforms have increasingly devoted themselves to fighting this type of injustice. The biggest platforms like PokerStars and partypoker have teams dedicated exclusively to combat this type of fraud and even the smallest names in virtual poker are following this trend.
In 2021, the presence of cheating on online tables should be increasingly rare, if not completely non-existent. The industry's dedication to locating and punishing cheaters must be as great or greater than face-to-face modalities, with the possibility of permanent banning of poker platforms. PokerStars itself has already declared its efforts to investigate abuses and penalize any action that goes against its strict Terms of Use.
How to keep up to date with the news in 2021?
It is important to keep up with the competitive landscape and what the big names in poker are saying on social media. We interviewed professional player André Akkari and he brought some of his expertise to talk about what we can expect for poker this year. Check out the interview below:
GamersCard - More and more poker houses are emerging, online versions of the game are gaining new fans and players are dedicating themselves more and more. How do you see the current moment in poker?
Andre Akkari - I think the moment was not so good. Obviously, Covid hindered the pace of live events, but it brought in many more people to get to know the game itself through online. Things promise to explode when everything returns to normal. The proof of this was a face-to-face event that took place in Miami after a pandemic that broke all records in history. The thing is going to be explosive!
When you started playing poker, did you imagine that the game would be so important in your life?
I saw poker as a great opportunity. Opportunity to work on my own, to make my schedules, and that through study I could grow exponentially. I didn't imagine that I would get that far, but it doesn't hurt to dream big, right? And everything went better than expected!
You are a player known and recognized by players all over the world. If you could give 3 tips for those starting out in online poker, what would they be?
1 - Play according to your bankroll. Financial management is the key to long-term poker success.
2 - Take pleasure in playing but take more pleasure in studying.
3 - Know that there is life outside the tables. Family, friends, fun, are essential to form a great professional at the tables.
Many games increase the capacity for logical reasoning, sports increase physical fitness. What are the benefits of poker in your life outside the game?
Poker taught me to look at life in a different light. Less emotional in some ways and more rational, more assertive. It changed my decision-making ability, and this made me more successful in the long run-in business.
Finally, for which championships or tournaments do you recommend that poker players focus their attention throughout the year 2021?
The big online series like SCOOP, WCOOP, and as soon as the BSOP and EPT’s lives come back, these are the big events of 2021 and I will be in all of them.
Source: GamersCard
