Poker owes a lot of its current popularity to the online poker boom that Chris Moneymaker kicked off in 2003. Since then, millions of online players have made it a mission of sorts to win big and appear at major poker tournaments like the {World Series of Poker}.
In Germany, the online poker boom has led to the country being known as a poker powerhouse the world over. Top German poker players like Pius Heinz, Tobias Reinkemier, Marvin Rettenmaier, and Niklas Heinecker perfectly represent the new breed of poker player: youngsters who cut their teeth playing online poker on their PCs.
While the popularity of computer-based poker is still riding high, some experts believe that a major change may be coming soon. Not in the way the game is played, but in terms of what it’s being played on. Jeffrey Haas, PartyPoker’s Group Director of Poker, believes that mobile gaming on smartphones and tablets is the next frontier – and it may be coming sooner than you think.
“Today we have 4 per cent of our user base [on mobile], but I see it growing,” Haas told {TrustedReviews} during a World Poker Tour National series event in London last year. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s 25 to 30 per cent of all players by the end of 2014, if not more.”
While Haas’ statement may at first glance imply a massive uptick in the number of new poker players in just a year’s time, a more plausible explanation is a shift from desktop gaming to mobile poker platforms. It’s not surprising; smartphones and tablets are infinitely more accessible and portable compared to a desktop system, after all.
The extremely fast technological uptake being experienced by the whole world is another big factor. In 2012, for example, there were over 1 billion smartphones in the world. {Strategy Analytics} believe that in just three years, there will be around 2 billion smartphones in the world.
China and the US lead the world in penetration percentage, but countries like Germany have also exhibited strong growth in the smartphone market. Digital research firm {comScore} notes that by the end of 2012, over half of mobile phone users in Germany owned smartphones.
Other industry insiders and experts seem to back Haas’s prediction, as well. According to gaming news site CalvinAyre, early estimates from the 2nd annual Mobile and Tablet Gambling Summit in London place mobile and tablet gaming revenues at 11 billion euros by 2015. That’s more than double the numbers posted just a couple of years ago.
More and more gamers are turning to smartphones and tablets to supplement their desktop systems for their casual gaming needs nowadays. It still remains to be seen, but with the numbers backing him up it seems Haas’ predictions about poker experiencing a similar shift will be right on the money.
In Germany, the online poker boom has led to the country being known as a poker powerhouse the world over. Top German poker players like Pius Heinz, Tobias Reinkemier, Marvin Rettenmaier, and Niklas Heinecker perfectly represent the new breed of poker player: youngsters who cut their teeth playing online poker on their PCs.
While the popularity of computer-based poker is still riding high, some experts believe that a major change may be coming soon. Not in the way the game is played, but in terms of what it’s being played on. Jeffrey Haas, PartyPoker’s Group Director of Poker, believes that mobile gaming on smartphones and tablets is the next frontier – and it may be coming sooner than you think.
“Today we have 4 per cent of our user base [on mobile], but I see it growing,” Haas told {TrustedReviews} during a World Poker Tour National series event in London last year. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s 25 to 30 per cent of all players by the end of 2014, if not more.”
While Haas’ statement may at first glance imply a massive uptick in the number of new poker players in just a year’s time, a more plausible explanation is a shift from desktop gaming to mobile poker platforms. It’s not surprising; smartphones and tablets are infinitely more accessible and portable compared to a desktop system, after all.
The extremely fast technological uptake being experienced by the whole world is another big factor. In 2012, for example, there were over 1 billion smartphones in the world. {Strategy Analytics} believe that in just three years, there will be around 2 billion smartphones in the world.
China and the US lead the world in penetration percentage, but countries like Germany have also exhibited strong growth in the smartphone market. Digital research firm {comScore} notes that by the end of 2012, over half of mobile phone users in Germany owned smartphones.
Other industry insiders and experts seem to back Haas’s prediction, as well. According to gaming news site CalvinAyre, early estimates from the 2nd annual Mobile and Tablet Gambling Summit in London place mobile and tablet gaming revenues at 11 billion euros by 2015. That’s more than double the numbers posted just a couple of years ago.
More and more gamers are turning to smartphones and tablets to supplement their desktop systems for their casual gaming needs nowadays. It still remains to be seen, but with the numbers backing him up it seems Haas’ predictions about poker experiencing a similar shift will be right on the money.