Future of Online Poker Tournaments

For years, online poker tournaments have been a favorite pastime for many players.

14:55 16 July 2020

Both amateur and professional players have been battling for huge, exciting prizes. After all, poker tournaments can be quite entertaining for both viewers and players. There’s potential for earning big from a small investment. That coupled with convenience has made online poker one of the most popular games in iGaming. According to Beasts Of Poker, tournaments offer great value for professional poker players who are willing to learn the correct strategies.

 

That said, what does the future hold for this national pastime? Will its popularity continue to rise? Will players eventually lose interest in online tournaments? Will online poker tournaments become accessible in all states?

 

In this article, we'll try to predict the future of online poker by examining current trends. Let's dive in.

 

Virtual Reality

 

Virtual reality has been all the rage in recent years. The opportunities VR provides have the potential to transform many industries. Gaming, military and healthcare systems have made it the talk of the town. Fortunately, playing online Poker on a VR device is now possible.

 

In gaming, once you wear your headset, VR allows you to travel to a virtual universe of realistic avatars. These avatars simulate your body movement, making you feel as if you're in the game completely. Likewise in Poker, VR immerses you in a fascinating world where you can handle chips, just as you would in a real-world casino.

 

To top it off, you can also:

• Message your opponents in real-time, even though they're from different corners of the world
• Study your competitors and figure out their moves
• Form relationships at the virtual poker table, either making friends or enemies
• Summon creative props instantly, keeping the poker table fun

 

VR online Poker has improved social gaming, merging the convenience of online gameplay with real-life social interaction. The result is a completely immersive experience and a deep engagement level.

 

With such benefits, Virtual Reality is here to stay. Expect to see more VR online Poker tournaments in the coming years.

 

Bitcoin Poker Tournaments

 

Every year, more and more retailers accept bitcoin as a form of payment. Online Poker is no different, as poker rooms are increasingly approving Bitcoin deposits. In return, Bitcoin Poker tournaments have cropped up, and players have started shifting to such tournaments.

 

A major reason why players love Bitcoin tournaments is anonymity. In countries where online poker is illegal, players can participate in events with minimal hassle by using crypto deposits. Bitcoin helps to hide their true identity. When signing up for bitcoin poker sites, you only need to submit your account email address. When using bank accounts, on the other hand, you have to submit personal information. Even when cashing out, you don't have to go through any identity checks, and transfers also happen anonymously.

 

Other benefits of bitcoin poker tournaments are:

• Security – Due to state-of-the-art encryption, every bitcoin transaction is safe and secure.
• Costs – BTC poker sites never charge players when transacting with bitcoins.
• Speed – Depositing bitcoins only takes a few seconds. Similarly to PayPal, almost all transactions are instantaneous.
  
  

The use of bitcoin is not slowing down anytime soon. In the coming years, BTC will probably replace most of the world's currencies. Hopefully, by that time, online poker tournaments will have adopted the form of payment.

 

Increased Legalization

 

Online poker is legal in the UK and many countries in the world. Despite this, many Americans still can't access the casino game because of strict measures implemented by most states. The future, however, is promising for poker lovers.

 

In April 2013, the United States legalized the first-ever online poker game. Since then, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nevada have followed suit, authorizing the playing of online poker. Slowly, sports gambling is on its way to finally getting authorized in the US.

 

Not long ago, lawmakers in two other states, West Virginia and Michigan, agreed to legalize online poker. Their poker platforms are set to launch by 2021.

 

More and more states are opening their doors to online poker platforms. In the coming years, we expect to see the majority of the states legalizing the casino game. Consequently, we expect a greater diversity in the participation of online tournaments. This means players from different states playing together. Recent changes to policies are helping more players get access to online poker tournaments.

 

Reduced use of HUDs

 

The advantages of HUDs can't be understated. Firstly, they help you identify the mistakes your competitors are making, so you have an advantage. Secondly, through enhanced multi-tabling, they allow you to focus on both crucial decisions and the action in other tables. Lastly, they help you study your own mistakes, so you can improve your winning rate.

 

With all these benefits, you'd expect the use of HUD software to increase in the future. But it is quite the opposite! HUDs are slowly getting phased out from online poker rooms. Many poker players are participating in tournaments without their beloved software.

 

In the last few years we've noticed:

• partypoker banning HUDs and other poker tracking databases, as part of their sweeping changes.
• Unibet trying to create a level playing field for all players by also outlawing HUDs. In fact, since becoming an independent poker room in 2014, Unibet has never allowed any HUD software in their rooms.
• Ignition Poker taking a strong stance in the matter of banning HUDs. Players in their poker room receive random numbers to preserve their anonymity in the poker table.

HUD software has undoubtedly helped many players over the years. But why are poker sites suddenly abandoning this software?

 

The reason is simple. HUDs are widening the difference in skill levels between amateur and experienced poker players. Casual players are losing their money at high rates because of the huge inequality in skills. Even if they're playing for fun, novice players lose so consistently such that poker is no longer enjoyable for them.

 

To thwart this problem, some poker rooms are banning HUDs software so that amateurs can have a better chance of retaining their money.

 

Poker sites may continue phasing out HUD software and predatory applications as the years go by. In return, the number of HUD software may slowly dwindle in online poker tournaments.