5 Things I would Change About Online Poker

There is never a shortage of opinions when it comes to improving online poker, and you probably have heard all of the arguments about Anonymous Tables, Tracking Software, and VIP programs. While I have my own opinions on all of these topics and more (there is never a shortage of opinions coming out of me) in this column I’m going to focus on basic changes to online poker; changes that could be made tomorrow by any online poker site.

These changes I am about to propose are for the greater good and not for the benefit of winning players (although these players will benefit down the road) and will likely be laughed at by many of these players who will see these proposed changes as an attack on their livelihood. But I have my reasons and will explain my rationale for each proposed change.

• Change #1: Eliminate All Heads-Up Tables and Short-Handed Tables of Less Than Six Players
• Change #2: Eliminate All Tables with Stakes Lower Than $.05/$.10 NL and $.25/$.50 Limit
• Change #3: Eliminate All Tables with Stakes Above $10/$20 NL and $50/$100 Limit
• Change #4: Eliminate All of the “Trendy” Tournaments and Structures
• Change #5: Allow Deeper Buy-Ins

I always here players talking about a second Poker Boom, how the game needs new blood; yet these same players lobbying for new players are doing everything in their power to disenfranchise these new players. Unlike the original poker boom (when things were far simpler) the winning players of today do not want to hunt for their prey; they don’t want to have to put in the hard work and perhaps play a game on someone else’s terms. Instead they are more akin to an animal living in captivity, who never goes hungry and never has to exert any energy to remain fed.

So what I am proposing is a return to the old days (the old days meaning about 10 years ago) where winning players did not create the rules under which the game is played, and when new players were at least given a chance to sit down and partake in the game on equal footing –they still had no chance but their demise came from the sword they could see and not a knife in the back.

My goal throughout this series will be to consolidate player pools and increase the long-term liquidity of the game; it is NOT to appease a certain group of players or make everyone happy.

Change #1: Eliminate All Heads-Up Tables and Short-Handed Tables of Less Than Six Players

Whoa, say what now! Aren’t heads-up and short-handed games among the most popular?

While these games may be extremely popular they are simply not needed, and in fact only work to spread the player pool too thin. The vast majority of the players sitting in these games are winning players, looking for fish that they can have all to themselves and not share them with a table full of players. The problem is these games bleed the fish too quickly; they turn players off from playing poker far faster than a fish sitting in a full ring game; where they have a chance to fold and take a breather every now and then.

A secondary reason I have no issue eliminating these games is that the players that will miss them (the winning players) and will do the most complaining, will eventually get over it. In the end they will simply migrate to the six-max or full-ring games.

Read Part 1: /blog/5-things-i-would-change-about-online-poker/

Read Part2: /blog/5-things-i-would-change-about-online-poker-part-2/

Read Part 3: /blog/5-things-i-would-change-about-online-poker-part-3/

Read Part 4: /blog/5-things-i-would-change-about-online-poker-part-4/

Read Part 5: /blog/5-things-i-would-change-about-online-poker-part-5/

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