What exactly does a return to live poker mean?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on people all over the world and live poker, in general, was heavily influenced. Almost all venues closed for an extended period of time while some casinos carried on without too many restrictions or precautions in place. The poker industry adapted and moved a lot of its competitions to the virtual arena, which resulted in record numbers for all major competitors.

But will live poker actually go back to the same normal? Will it flourish during a new honeymoon period to then drop back and wipe out the influx of (new) players who have money to spare? Perhaps, it will be a different normal that takes over and prepares everyone better involved for various scenarios going forward.

Some countries were more successful to contain the outbreak of the pandemic in an organic way while others enforced strict measures yet still struggle after more than a full year. The very same can be said about the poker industry, which is slowly preparing for a return to the live action.

A handful of US states such as Nevada, Florida, and Texas have seen massive numbers in the large festivals leading up to the summer. Australia had equally impressive outcomes for live poker events while several Asian countries such as Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam all hosted tournaments as well. There were also events in the Caribbean and South America but not much is talked about these except by local media.

Europe will open back up at some point but there is a long way to go until thousands of players can compete in the same room again without any or very few restrictions in place. The tournament directors and executives at the helm may still be the same but this might not be the case for a majority of the dealers. They had to move on and get a “real job” in order to pay their bills.

For poker players, it may be easy to just switch from live to online poker and stare at a screen for most of the day while clicking buttons. But there are no dealers needed for the virtual shuffle except for some cam-style sites with real-time casino atmosphere and hostesses smiling at the customers. Some of the dealers may have even used their experience in the industry and earned their living as a player.

In reality, many perhaps simply picked up an ordinary nine-to-five office job and left poker behind. Whether or not they will return remains to be seen but poker pros may have to get used to new faces in the pit especially in non-High Roller tournaments from now on. The same might very well also apply to the media, live event reporters, or “bloggers” as they are commonly referred to.

I am part of that group and was very fortunate to still earn a living by picking up reporting from online events. More industry-focused writing came up as well and I can easily pay all my bills for the remainder of the year. But there is a distinct lack of travel, which has been part of my work routine for most of the year since 2016.

As has been the case for the dealers, the same could be said about the poker media as well. The most unfortunate were those that entered in 2018 and 2019, learned the ropes, and were thrown into the cold water. But in 2020 that turned into ice and the lake was suddenly frozen. Not all of “us” were as lucky to have established connections and a resumé that makes it easy to get hired and remain in the industry.

If the 2021 World Series of Poker takes place as planned in October and November in Las Vegas, there may be many new faces among the players, dealers, and media. In case you get asked for your name, just smile and provide it without making a scene. As a matter of fact, I just booked my accommodation in Sin City for nearly the entire duration and keep my fingers crossed that it takes place as planned.

As far as the overall atmosphere is concerned, I am rather optimistic. It will most certainly have a very positive vibe just like birds when they break out of the cage and spread their wings. Many even expect that the 2021 WSOP Main Event becomes the biggest in history. I wouldn’t want to bet on that just yet with so many travel restrictions and different stages of the vaccination efforts all over the world in place.

Hopefully, plexiglass dividers won’t be there anymore by then. As fancy as they might be to make sure everybody has plenty of space and doesn’t invade the holy zone of the respective table neighbor, it sure looks wonky and strange. They are almost all gone in Las Vegas casinos and hopefully, that remains to be the case.

One thing during the pandemic that caught my attention was the emphasis of venues about how they have ramped up their safety protocols across the board. Does that mean this wasn’t the case before during all these years even though it would have made perfect sense already? With chips exchanging hands frequently, they should have already been cleaned regularly and that is nothing to specifically praise in the eyes of the public.

Perhaps not only the operators but also the players themselves may have learned a few lessons along the way and look after their health at the poker tables. Flu-like germs were spread way before COVID-19 hit and hand sanitizer bottles don’t cost a fortune. That doesn’t mean you need to wear three masks, a face shield, and rubber hand-shoes for protection. But you shouldn’t make jokes about other people that take further precautions either.

As far as my own expectations are concerned, I hope to have very few if any at all because they usually only lead to disappointment. It will be nice to see many familiar faces of my “poker family” again after such an extended period. Recognizing them may be a challenge as some either put on some kilos, lost a lot of weight, or look like cavemen.

Remembering the tens of thousands of players from memory after this forced time off may take a while. Counting real chips by glancing at the random pile from the other side of the table will probably feel strange. But the conversations are certain to make up for that temporary irritation until it becomes a no-brainer once more.

Some doubts over the future remain because depending on such a niche market can make us very vulnerable, as the pandemic has shown. I for one cannot wait to walk into the various poker rooms all over the world and hear the splashing of chips from all corners.