Those of us who have been around poker since the boom probably first discovered the game this way.
In particular, televised poker on sports channels is a great way of catching potential new players unexpectedly, when they are flicking around or have just finished watching something else. In most countries televised poker is broadcast on sports channels which are obviously watched by millions. Probably the biggest strength of marketing poker as a sport is that it is a great way to reach the masses. There are merits to both approaches, but is the future of poker going to involve thinking of it more like a sport, or a video game? Sport reaches the masses Neymar and Ronaldo reach millions of fans Video games like League of Legends have become marketed as 'eSports', and are now filling arenas with popularity, so maybe poker can learn something from them? Somewhat paradoxically, my view was that the only way for the sporting model to work was if we were to borrow something from the world of video games to make it happen.
Last week I wrote about whether poker could become a spectator sport, as is currently being explored by the Global Poker Index. Should we treat poker more like a video game?
