The 4 Shifts of Poker: Understand Where Poker Came From
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Understanding Where Poker Came From
According to Justin Bonomo, writer for Bluff Magazine, poker is an ever-evolving game that poker players are still discovering, learning, and teaching with every hand that is played. He suggests players like Doyle Brunson have evolved more than other players and share what they have learned with the world.
Bonomo claims poker has been through four significant shifts since the 1940s, when the first rounders increased their skill while roaming around Texas, supporting themselves by playing poker. This era was the first shift. The second shift came about in the disco days, the 1970s. At this time in the United States, tournaments were becoming popular, and the World Series of Poker was established. This era also saw Brunson’s Super System, which also added to this poker shift.
Later, in the late eighties and early nineties, another shift came about as other strategy books came out, such as the Theory of Poker and Hold ‘em Poker for Advanced Players. These books were published by 2+2, one of the first big poker book publishers. Bonomo sees the 4th and most recent shift arising in the early years of the 21st century, more specifically, 2003 and 2004. He attributes this shift to the Internet, which led to satellite tournaments that could bring any player to a live event. In addition, televised events became trendy and fun to watch, as players’ hole cards could be shown to viewers watching at home. Television, along with the Internet, which allowed for a lot more means of online communication and educational instruction, not to mention the instant availability for anyone to play, there was a great increase in the skill of players, on the whole.
Bonomo states that even from 2004 to 2006, the game of poker has become tougher. This is not to say that the game of every player has improved, or that every pro is flawless. In fact, even the pros make mistakes constantly, and some even blog their mistakes (Daniel Negreanu, Brian Townsend, and Patrik Antonius). So, Bonomo has made some predictions that he is confident will come true. He believes that poker will become tougher over the next four years, as it has been steadily doing in recent past years. Another presumption he makes is that it will be necessary for good players to learn and play in different styles. They will not be able to play the same every game.
Also, he predicts that the trend of aggressive play that has developed online will become apparent in live play, as well. He states that in live high stakes cash games, players tend to play very passively, which the opposite is true online. As more online players start playing on live tables, the knowledge that has amassed online for poker players will come with them. Finally, Bonomo suggests that players will become more reliant on math and computer software programs. These types of assistances will eventually become more widely used and accepted and become “more necessary, rather than simply being beneficial.” An interesting example presented is that if the top ten poker players in the world dropped out of the poker realm for five years then returned to the game, they would be the underdogs, facing much more advanced players than themselves.
What Bonomo is saying, as a poker player, is that the game of poker will undoubtedly see even more shifts in the level of play by its players, who may not ever conquer the infinite complexity of the game.
RESOURCES:
Bonomo, Justin. “The Evolution of Poker.” Bluff Magazine March 2008March 2008 20 Jun 2008 <http://www.bluffmagazine.com/magazine/The%2DEvolution%2Dof%2DPoker%2DJustin%2DBonomo-1252.htm>.
Read more articles about Poker History here.
