My dad used to say that during the Great Depression (1929-1939) there were two jobs that you could count on getting. One was being a policeman. He served the force for over forty years and began during the Great Depression. The other job was being a bartender, even during the Prohibition Era (1920-1933). Now we are experiencing what some have called the "Great Recession." Has it had an effect on poker-both on-line and in the brick and mortar casinos?
The answer is definitely, "Yes!" I am not even sure that I like playing poker as much as I used to. That's because the players who would lose to me are not showing up as often.
The current financial crisis has had its effect on poker players. There are not as many showing up in casinos or on-line. The professional tournament tours are also showing a decline in participants. Except for the compulsive gamblers, who represent only 3 percent of gamblers, people are finding other places to spend their recreational funds. When people are unemployed or worried about paying the bills, they tighten their belts and find other ways to spend the money that's left over. After all, poker is supposed to be fun and profitable.
With fewer players showing up to the casinos, I have noticed that most of them are good players. Why not? They win and have money to play with or they leave when they are ahead and don't risk losing it when things outside are tight. Even on-line action is not "recession proof." Online poker sites are reporting that things are slowing down. However, it seems to keep the losers away and encourage the winners to stick it out.
There seems to be an inverse relationship between bad economics times and good players. As things get financially tighter, the good players and usual winners are going up in numbers. When people are better off financially, more play poker and fewer are good at it. At least that's my observation. Of course, we need a more precise study to prove this. Yet by the time you do the study economics will have changed and what difference will it make? If it's true that fewer players in hard times means more good players to contend with, then bring back the good times along with the legions of mediocre players.
Assuming that my observations are true, it means that poker playing is getting harder. There are fewer fish at the table and your opponents are usually winners. But is that true when you have a table filled with good players? The nature of poker is that there's ordinarily one winner per hand. In bad times, it seems that it's not the same players who win pot after pot. In bad times, perhaps the winners need to share the winnings with other players who are also good-at least until the fish show up. That won't happen until people have some money left over after bills are paid.
So the next time you go to the casino, if the economy is slow and there's a lack of players, ask yourself, "Am I playing against all good players?" They may be the only ones left to spend money on poker. And the next time you play on-line poker, notice how skilful the players have become on the cash sites. Also, notice that the "play money" sites are doing about the same.
Although my dad was right about being a cop or serving booze, I wonder what he'd think about the effects of bad times on casino people.
Jim McKenna has been practicing psychotherapy for more than thirty-five years. His books include the acclaimed Beyond Tells: Power Poker Psychology, Beyond Bluffs: Master the Mysteries of Poker, and Beyond Traps: The Anatomy of Poker Success, all published by Kensington Press. Write to Jim@Jimmckenna-PhD.com.
