Mary Amakihi 
Delve into the History and Evolution of Online Poker
Online poker is one of the world’s most popular and entertaining card games. This article will delve into the history and evolution of online poker.
Before going into the history and evolution of online poker, let us understand this poker game.
What is a Poker Game?
Poker is a card game in which participants wager on who has the best hand (the group of cards you’re holding) based on different rules depending on the type of poker you’re playing.
The deck used in the game is a conventional 52-card deck, although the quantity of cards used depends on the kind of game.
Depending on the rules specified by the dealer at the start of the game, the value of each card in the deck might also vary. Poker is played in casino poker rooms, community card games, and at-home games.
Poker, formerly thought to be a game for hardened card sharks in smoky, poorly lit rooms, has evolved into a pastime accessible to anybody with an internet connection.
The transition from physical card shuffling to a digital interface altered our strategy, gaming pace, and even how we bluff our opponents on poker.
History of Online Poker
The card game we now know as poker has been played for hundreds of years, according to poker specialists from Top 10 Poker Sites.
Modern poker is thought to have originated in the early nineteenth century in the United States; however, its roots can be traced back to many card games played in Europe.
Poker, which began in saloons and private homes, quickly became a popular social and gambling game. In the mid-twentieth century, this card game flourished in secret groups, with participants gathering underground to risk real money.
These activities were frequently associated with criminal organizations and high-stakes gambling. The introduction of online poker rooms in the late 1990s was a watershed point in the gambling industry.
Evolution of Online Poker
Technology saw significant transformation throughout the 1990s. Everything from socializing to purchasing has changed due to the internet boom, including the gaming industry.
Players worldwide could now compete against one another without being restricted by time zones or location. What direction is this going? Yes, online poker was on the horizon.
The online poker site that launched the revolution, Planet Poker, dealt the first real-money game in 1998.
Although their bold step into the unknown world of the internet heralded a new era in the poker industry, it was still in its infancy, hampered by clunky visuals and poor internet rates.
Nevertheless, they opened the gates to a thrilling new world that would soon be brimming with opportunity and rivalry.
Some major evolutions that took place in online poker are;
- The boom years: Early 2000s
- Technological advancements
- Online poker and modern revolution
- The year of Black Friday: 2011
- Post-Black Friday era
- Artificial Intelligence and online poker
- Online poker in today’s world
The Boom Years: Early 2000s
With the arrival of the new millennium, broadband technology became the main attraction and significantly increased internet speeds.
Better encryption methods started to appear simultaneously with this increase in connectivity, providing players assurance about the security of their financial transactions.
At this time, a little-known website by the name of PokerStars entered the game.
It had state-of-the-art software that significantly enhanced the gambling experience as an online spin-off of the World Series of Poker, the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), launched in 2002.
Notably, Chris Moneymaker won a place in the WSOP Main Event via the site the following year.
With the advent of multi-tabling in the mid-2000s, players could now engage in multiple games simultaneously. Suddenly, you can be bluffing your way through a game of Seven-Card Stud in one virtual room while playing Texas Hold ’em in another.
Technological Advancement
Modern online poker has been greatly influenced by two technological innovations: Random Number Generators (RNG) and Heads-Up Displays (HUD).
RNGs ensured every card was dealt with randomly to keep the game fair. However, HUDs changed players’ strategies by giving them access to real-time opponent statistics, like how frequently they folded or raised.
You could now read your opponent’s mind without figuring out their poker face!
Online Poker and Modern Revolution
Have you ever imagined yourself playing poker while sipping your favorite coffee at a café? This fantasy became a reality thanks to the smartphone revolution.
It brought about a massive transformation in online poker, making the game more accessible.
Thanks to apps built by top-tier platforms, players could now play poker wherever and whenever they wanted.
With the power of mobility in their pockets, online poker was no longer bound to desktop computers, marking yet another step forward in its progress.
The Year of Black Friday: 2011
With all the amazing advancements seen in online poker, black Friday was among the many occurrences that shaped the game into what it is today.
On April 15, 2011, Friday seemed like any other day before the weekend.
It turned out to be the most disastrous day for online poker. The US Department of Justice seized the domains of PokerStars, FT, and Absolute Poker on Black Friday.
Players could not log in, and word of the indictment circulated swiftly. All three poker sites were also facing civil accusations, which forced them to exit the US market. Bodog (rebranded as Bovada) was the only poker site to survive in the United States.
If you played poker in 2011, you most likely saw this screenshot from one of the above sites. Some players who had their account balances locked are still haunted by it.
Post-Black Friday Era
PokerStars was the only one of the three convicted poker sites to negotiate an agreement with the DOJ following Black Friday.
They accomplished this by acquiring Full Tilt Poker and paid the US authorities over $1 billion in fines. PokerStars made a wise decision since their non-US business expanded significantly in the following years.
Merge Network, Bodog, and Cake Poker Network were among the contenders to fill the void left by the exits of FT, UB, and PokerStars from the US. The total number of US online poker players was significantly fewer due to lesser brand awareness.
Casual players trying to have fun began to disappear from the US online poker industry.
Artificial Intelligence and Online Poker
After the era of black Friday, online poker started recovering and gaining ground with regulations put in place to enhance their operations.
In 2015, AI began making waves in the poker world. In 2017, Carnegie Mellon University’s AI program, Libratus, notably defeated four professional poker players in a 20-day poker marathon.
Its ability to change strategy and learn from mistakes had far-reaching ramifications beyond the poker table, opening the door to sophisticated decision-making processes in various industries.
While the significance of AI in actual online poker games is predictably limited, its impact on strategy development is significant. AI bots can be used by players and enthusiasts to train and refine their skills, giving them an advantage in real-world games.
Online Poker in Today’s World
Today, online poker is a well-established, thriving industry that millions of people across the world enjoy.
With the introduction of live dealer games and virtual reality poker, we witness a constant marriage of technology and gambling. What was once a game restricted to physical casinos has evolved into a fascinating, tech-powered experience that can be enjoyed anywhere, at any time.
The growth of online poker is a narrative of technical leaps and bounds, from Planet Poker’s pioneering online platform to the introduction of AI-enhanced methods.
The evolution has not only made the game more accessible but has also brought layers of strategy, intricacy, and thrill previously imagined in smoky, congested poker rooms.
Conclusion
Many vital events and realities have impacted the growth and trajectory of the online poker market.
Since its inception, the sector has evolved dramatically, adopting new technology and reacting to new regulatory settings and frameworks to become a global phenomenon.
If the game’s history has taught us anything, we can only expect further growth soon.