To view poker economy as a total, we need to take a look at every single player and their motivation to play poker in the first place.
Anyone who read Poker-Psychology by Alan Schoonmaker might remember the table where you had to fill in %-wise, why you're playing poker (and trying to do so with your tablemates, B&M based). While some of us might want to enter money with 100%, it isn't that easy. I mean, come on - unless you're in a really poor country (where playing freerolls would be worth your time), Poker isn't a gold mine. It's more of a silver mine with less back pain. We all know, if we we're in it for real money, we could make at least 100% more with a serious job, let alone the high-stakes pros. If you're clever enough to be a pokerpro, you're clever enough to get an PhD or becoming a CEO and whatnot. But maybe everyone's just too socially shy.
We need to take a look and say how much % socialization, gambling, killing time and other stuff affects our demands to play. Then we maybe just have to reassemble the priorities if our Hourly/ROI was much lower to get the view of a rec.
The average grinder knows he has a solid line, can make money and has (hopefully) fun playing poker, so loading up your client every day is totally normal. But how about someone who thinks is solid, but loses more than the fun he gets for it. This guy must be in the mood for playing, which isn't always granted, considering that he will be the loosest guy at the table and got nothing more to do than stealing blinds or getting raped by every 3better.
I for myself got trouble getting myself in the mood for playing, mostly affected by having a fever and knowing that not playing my A-Game wouldn't be that +EV, so I was surfing 9gag all day long.
Now that I'm a player who watches his BR, a zero sum medium fun day was worth more than a probable -EV poker day. That's a point we can grapple on.
Let's say we take the freerolls department. What about raising the prizepool of freerolls but with the limitation of not being able to withdraw it? It will be pure bonus money, free games and whatnot. People can play it without any fear of losing money but with a bigger intense, talking 1st place money. But we shouldn't make it into MTT-Ticket Freerolls since people don't like to be told what MTTs they should play. If I win in a freeroll I want to gamble at 2 NL, Play a 1$ SNG and a 50$ MTT if I ever get this far..
So how about the money, socialize and time killing effect.
If we sit around waiting for hands, we don't have the best time of our life. If we actually get a hand, we might get some fun. But all in between is utter boring. Of course every reg fills the gap with multi tabling but a recreational doesn't want to load up 20 tables because he just hasn't the money to do so. And even if, he doesn't want to lose it that fast.
Ipoker is doing the totally right thing with stickin' gambling into hands we're not involved. Whenever we're waiting for a hand, we can bet on what color the next turn card might be and so on. People pay rake while not playing a hand, but while playing poker. Genius move.
This might keep the gamer entertained but isn't really good for his bankroll. Another way to get the money of the player without a need to rake it in, but with a good feeling by the player.
So while a normal game consists of 2 minutes of fun and 5 minutes of waiting until the next playable hand, these players can have fun non-stop. Does this lead to a tighter playstyle because the rec isn't that bored that he has to play A7o to not fall asleep on his laptop or does it delude the player into playing even more hands because he just has won his River-bet and wants to gamble that away that extra income extra fast? We don't know, but we know that the player gets action, no matter what his hand is. Time-Killing turned into money. Nh.
Socializing
That's a part, Pokerstars and follower-site 888 have implented Home Games where only you play with your friends, no mean nits and uber-regs. Just Jimmy and Peter playing a short freezeout where you define the Buy-In. And even if they don't have to, they still spend rake to play it. Everyone could play with playmoney and swap money later, but that isn't real poker, eh?
Things like Buddy-Lists also have a great affect in the sozialice effect. Ok, regs might use it to add fishes and search for their tables, but a recreational might add people he plays more often and seeks their tables just to talk while playing. That's a good thing and it also encourages playing. Let's say you busted in an MTT, but see that your buddy plays in another MTT - why not join this one too? - To be fair, SNG and Cash are far mor in that target range, since you wanna end up at the same table.
Webcam-Poker Another great deal in socializing. Maybe you're just a standard degen who will follow every female player or you got to take a look at your best online-friend while playing, studying his moves, trying to get a read. But you're hooked, you're one tabling, you're having fun and you don't think about losing money or playing 20 tables. You just wanna see his face when you bust his Aces with 34s.
Money
I already mentioned increased freeroll pools to attract money-hogging gamblers but what about advertising?
Recently, 888 introduced branded gaming by doing some LG events. You basically could play a freeroll (if you played enough MTTs before), play 0,5$ Rebuy into a 55$ Event where all first places got different sizes of 3D-TV. The Table actually looked like a LG TV and the LG symbol was good too see in the lobby as well on the table itself. These Tourneys had a great run as far as I see but I personally didn't play it. Why? Because If I want a TV, I want that one and which that size. I don't want to play a MTT, ending up with a 22" TV when I actually played it for the 35". I'd rather get a "LG-Coupon" for use in some store, but the idea itself is brillant.
I'm playing 95% Tournaments (MTT/STT) so my Ideas won't really help cash, but let's continue anyway.
Most of you have played a sit n go and we all know how it begins. A table pops up and a sign says "Tourney starting in 30 seconds". This reminds me of TV. Right after the ads, the Screen gets split with the "show is starting in 20 seconds" and an half-screen ad that fits right into the time spot. Why not for Sit n Gos?
As soon as a table pops up, and ad is running until the game stars, leading to a slightly bigger prize pool.
Let's say a 1$ Tourney keeps its 10% Rake, but the prizepool gets raised by 5%, making it a overlay SNG. So a 6-max has a prizepool of 6.30 instead of 6$, which isn't that much at first glance, but lets any player play a bit longer.
with higher buy-in, a person can spend more on other things since his Bankroll will be also higher due to this - the more expensive the ad can be sold.
People don't need to watch that ad, just click away like you would on TV or a Website - but the message ends at the player more often than not, making it a good investment for a poker site. Higher prize pools lead to more games a player can make, and so on to more rake. A site can pocket some parts of the ad, while a smaller portion gets into the prizepool.
The idea with the Beer is awesome. Especially because Booze increases the gambling and people love free stuff. Buy a six-pack, get entry into a special tournament (like a daily Guinness 1000$ Freeroll or tickets for a 1$ SNG or something like that).
In Germany Pringles made a deal with Burger King. For every Roll of Pringles (1,89€ usually) you get to choose between a Whopper Jr. (2€) and a Veggie Country Burger (3,29€) which made it a great deal.
I waited until the Pringles were on sale for 1.11 and bought like 20 packs at once. Ate nothing else than Pringles in those two months.
If this turns out with Poker-Beer, people would buy and drink more beer, just to play another SitnGo, rather than depositing. Maybe they will win a game and think they know it all, gonna deposit and win the world - while losing their deposit the same hour the made it.
Last edited by Uhrenknecht; 02-23-2012 at 07:11 PM.
