The game of poker started becoming really popular when tournament organizers in the 1970s decided to use television as a platform to promote the game and broadcast major tournaments. However it was in the late 90s and early 2000s when the World Poker Tour (WPT) and later on the World Series of Poker (WSOP) would partner with popular channels such as the Travel Channel and ESPN to broadcast their tournaments to audiences in the United Kingdom and the United States.
This proved to be a game changer because the WPT and the WSOP decided to use hold card cams and interactive media to make the programs a lot more interesting for viewers who could now see what exactly the players were doing at the table. Things have changed considerably over the last few years, when it comes to broadcasting poker tournaments as traditional broadcasting has taken a backseat and live streaming is now the king of poker content.
Live Streaming: Pros & Cons
There are a number of live streaming platforms that poker players and tournament organizers use these days to broadcast their games and reach a global audience. The most popular live streaming platform with poker players right now is Twitch. The younger generation of poker players have been a lot more open to embracing and using live streaming technology to their advantage but there is also a group of players out there who have shunned live streaming for a number of reasons. We take a look at some of the major pros and cons that live streaming has deal poker players in recent times.
Global Branding
Poker players who are happy to use live streaming automatically reach a global audience as these live streams are available to be viewed around the world. This allows poker players who are relatively unknown to build their personal brand and establish for themselves a group of followers. To be successful with live streaming, poker players need to be consistent and engage their followers which in turn help them to have leverage in the global poker market and can be very useful when it comes to signing poker sponsors.
However all poker players want to expose themselves and make everything public. Many poker players prefer to keep a low profile and hence stay away from live streaming.
Online Learning
When live streaming takes place at a poker table, players can go back and see the different hands and hole cards that they used as well as their fellow players. This enables them to carefully study their own game as well as the competition and helps them get better because they now have a first-hand view as to how each player processes things and plays. This exposure allows players to get better as it is a great online learning experience.
Many poker players shun live streaming because they do not want other players to be able to study their game. There are also quite a few players who do not like going back and watching their live streaming sessions as it can be tiresome and consumes a lot of their time.
Free Strategy Sessions
To be consistently successful at the poker table, players have to constantly evolve, improvise their strategy and be open to learning. Some of the top poker experts and commentators in the game often end up giving commentary on popular live streaming poker events. Players will be able to get expert advice on the entire game and specific advice on their play by going back and watching these live streams.
It is not easy for poker players to be open to correction and criticism as that often happens during live streaming. Expert commentators and poker players share their views without holding back and sometimes it can work in the negative as players end up taking things too personally.
Conclusion
Live streaming is here to stay and it will only get popular in the coming years as more poker players embrace the technology and use it to their advantage. Players who prefer to shun live streaming are likely to fall behind in a number of different aspects. What live streaming will do for the game of poker is to build a larger global market and bring in new poker players who can learn how to play the game by following these live streams.