poker a "fading pop fad"???

[bdc30 0]

I usually discount threads like this but I copied and pastedthe following from CNN Money.Poker's hot streak fadingThere are signs that interest is waning in the $150 million industry.December 25, 2005: 10:06 AM EST The poker industry's hot streak finally seems to be cooling off this holiday season. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The worldwide poker industry appears to have hit every possible inside straight, flush and full house that it could, accumulating a large pot of cash in the process. But as this holiday season nears an end, the industry's luck seems to be running out as boxed sets of cards and chips are discounted, ratings fade for some poker-themed television shows and shares of a poker-linked stock slump. From televised celebrity poker tournaments to Internet gambling sites, to thronging tables at Las Vegas casinos and even a weekly column in The New York Times, poker remains an obsession. Industry group American Gaming Association found the level of interest in poker rose significantly in 2004, with consumer spending on the game in Nevada and New Jersey increasing to $151.7 million, or 45 percent over the previous year. Yet there are signs interest is waning among some of the demographic groups who fueled the craze. "It is a pop fad," said Bill Thompson, author and professor of public administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "Fads pass." Poker sets, once displayed prominently at his local Walgreen (Research), have been moved further back into the store, he said. "It may be reducing down to the niche market, which would be people in their 20s, macho-man type of people," he said. "Parents aren't looking to buy little sets." In the last few Christmas seasons, stores like Toys R Us did a booming business in poker chips, said Sean McGowan, an analyst at Harris Nesbit. But now chains like Target Corp. (Research) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (Research) are deeply discounting the sets to move them off the shelves. "The people who are obviously most interested in it obviously went out and did it already," McGowan said, noting that his own school-age son, who once obsessively played, has cooled on the game. "He doesn't even talk about it." Risky betRatings for poker shows and tournaments, which mainstream sports networks like ESPN rushed to televise in recent years, are no longer growing as fast. "As far as we can tell, the big poker rooms have continued to grow, but global ratings for poker telecasts around the world have been seeing retrenchment," said Eugene Christiansen, chief executive of Christiansen Capital Advisors. "The future is not going to be like the past year at all." He said that was a sign that global viewership was maturing. Steven Lipscomb, chief executive of gaming entertainment group WPT Enterprises Inc., which owns the still-popular World Poker Tour television show, said the poker market was "still bubbling." "We are in what I believe to be the early stages of a very long growth curve," he said. "If we were to be on the same growth scale that we were in ... we would be doing NFL-type numbers. And I don't think our expectations are that we will have 20 million people tuning in." Some investors who rushed to capitalize on the poker craze have gotten burned. Shares in WPT have tumbled more than 50 percent this year after briefly surging in July when U.S. poker champion Doyle Brunson made an unsolicited $700 million offer to buy the company. The bid, which later expired, is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. "These cult fad stocks always end up in disaster," said Ivan Feinseth of New York-based advisory firm Matrix USA, noting the company loses money and calling the stock overvalued despite rapid revenue growth. Unlike England, where several online gaming stocks are listed, poker has not blossomed as an area for investors in the United States, where Internet gambling remains illegal. Christiansen said telecommunication companies based in the United States had not bought into poker rooms either because of the legal issues. He said interest in televised poker -- an important factor in the growth of the game -- continued to increase globally, although at a slower pace and at different rates in different countries. "Nothing can grow to the sky," he said http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/25/news/midca...dex.htm?cnn=yesWhat do you guys think??

[Socrates 0]

Yes its fading. I've been seeing friends and regulars at our poker rooms slowly starting to lose interest.

[PAYforUSC 0]

all markets have booms & busts.

[PAYforUSC 0]

all markets have booms & busts.

if you are a carnivore, this will not matter. :-)

[KingAustin 0]

"We are in what I believe to be the early stages of a very long growth curve," he said. "If we were to be on the same growth scale that we were in ... we would be doing NFL-type numbers. And I don't think our expectations are that we will have 20 million people tuning in." I believe he hit the nail on the head here.

[theredpill99 0]

whoever wrote that article sounds jealous to me. I'd much rather watch a poker tourney than an NFL football game. Congratulations you can watch guys with helmets and pads run on grass with a ball. You can't hear these guys talk and you don't know how they feel. In a poker tourney, you can hear them speak and you can hear the interactions. I think one day they will put mikes on the football players and ratings will go through the roof, until then, I'll keep watching poker tourneys.

[jrme33 0]

I love how cnn bases its whole article on the sale of poker chips. How many sets do they think people buy? every poker player isnt going to buy a new set every month. And what was that about Doyle's bid being investigated by the securities and excahnge commission? Did i miss something?

[PokerFan 0]

I agree that the interest is dropping, however the question to me is how far will it drop?...

[Fluffdog87 2]

whoever wrote that article sounds jealous to me. I'd much rather watch a poker tourney than an NFL football game. Congratulations you can watch guys with helmets and pads run on grass with a ball. You can't hear these guys talk and you don't know how they feel. In a poker tourney, you can hear them speak and you can hear the interactions. I think one day they will put mikes on the football players and ratings will go through the roof, until then, I'll keep watching poker tourneys.

they can, and they do. Have u wacthed an nfl game lately?lol, hilarious.

[Smiddywap 0]

whoever wrote that article sounds jealous to me. I'd much rather watch a poker tourney than an NFL football game. Congratulations you can watch guys with helmets and pads run on grass with a ball. You can't hear these guys talk and you don't know how they feel. In a poker tourney, you can hear them speak and you can hear the interactions. I think one day they will put mikes on the football players and ratings will go through the roof, until then, I'll keep watching poker tourneys.

One day they will start to mike players... I believe that day was sometime in 2002.

[VegasBone 0]

I don't know if it is fading yet....but I think the supply way over shot the demand. You can buy chip sets at Walgreens for censoreds sake. Way too many people and companies tried to cash in on this poker boom and I think it backfired on a lot of people due to the massive over saturation.I think....sadly....the next thing the needs to happen to continue the success of poker is that they need to start treating the professionals like professionals. Have them PUBLICLY sponsored for tournaments. I think the pros were thrown into this a wee bit too fast ....and many of the pros do not have the true business savvy like professional atheletes have. Sure they're making incredible bank....but they aren't looking far enough in the future. Landing a $10 million contract/deal for some poker garbage is sweet....I certainly wouldn't turn it down. But after taxes, paying off agents and assistants that go along with it, and then living the life....something else is going to have to come around to continue living the life and to make sure your family won't have to worry about anything financially for the rest of their lives....or you'll wind up like Mike Tyson.For instance....look at Full Tilt. Here you have a commercial with 9 pros sitting around a poker table. When is the last time you saw 9 first rate professional atheletes climb into a Buick and drive around. You don't.....you have Tiger alone, and the other top golfers promote other crap. Poker's top rate players need to have....oh god I can't believe I'm about to say this.......more of a NASCAR mentality and whore themselves out to a wider variety of products. It's time to get the hell out of the Full Tilt sorority and put on a UPS hat or something.

[Phillip_339 0]

I love how cnn bases its whole article on the sale of poker chips. How many sets do they think people buy? every poker player isnt going to buy a new set every month. And what was that about Doyle's bid being investigated by the securities and excahnge commission? Did i miss something?

Have a look at this.http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/poker-foru...2240&highlight=

[Smiddywap 0]

For instance....look at Full Tilt. Here you have a commercial with 9 pros sitting around a poker table. When is the last time you saw 9 first rate professional atheletes climb into a Buick and drive around. You don't.....you have Tiger alone, and the other top golfers promote other crap. Poker's top rate players need to have....oh god I can't believe I'm about to say this.......more of a NASCAR mentality and censored themselves out to a wider variety of products. It's time to get the hell out of the Full Tilt sorority and put on a UPS hat or something.

The problem is that poker pros don't have anywhere near the mainstream recognition pro athletes do. In relation to the whole population, very few people would know who Phil Ivey is.

[Socrates 0]

For instance....look at Full Tilt. Here you have a commercial with 9 pros sitting around a poker table. When is the last time you saw 9 first rate professional atheletes climb into a Buick and drive around. You don't.....you have Tiger alone, and the other top golfers promote other crap. Poker's top rate players need to have....oh god I can't believe I'm about to say this.......more of a NASCAR mentality and censored themselves out to a wider variety of products. It's time to get the hell out of the Full Tilt sorority and put on a UPS hat or something.

The problem is that poker pros don't have anywhere near the mainstream recognition pro athletes do. In relation to the whole population, very few people would know who Phil Ivey is.

Great point and I think this is the problem supporters of poker have. They only see the interest of the people they relate to...others who play poker and read message boards.Here's a good test. Ask all of your family members who don't play poker to tell you who Cam Kim Hua is and that's an easy one. If they can't. Ask your parents friends and then start asking random people at the grocery store. I think you'll find very few who can provide poker in any answer they give.Another thing is the number of people who play poker. Have you ever played with most of them, they all play every hand and believe that poker is purely based on luck and have no idea what an out is. Obviously these peopleare part of the fad, not the game and there are far more of them than there are students of the game who will still be playing next year.

[mbreon 0]

Perhaps the sales of poker chip sets have been in decline because everyone and their mother now owns a poker chip set, negating the reason to buy another. They are planning for 8000 at this year's WSOP Main Event, so poker can't be in too much of a decline.

[Suited_Up 2]

Perhaps the sales of poker chip sets have been in decline because everyone and their mother now owns a poker chip set, negating the reason to buy another. They are planning for 8000 at this year's WSOP Main Event, so poker can't be in too much of a decline.

It won't happen.

[FileError404 0]

One day they will start to mike players... I believe that day was sometime in 2002.

Actually they did that in the 70's. It was advertised and everyone was very excited about it...until 5 minutes in the game on a live broadcast someone was called a cokksukker... and that was the end of mics.

[No_Neck 0]

they might make it to 8k if online poker sites give 6k of those away.

[nutzbuster 7]

Perhaps the sales of poker chip sets have been in decline because everyone and their mother now owns a poker chip set, negating the reason to buy another. They are planning for 8000 at this year's WSOP Main Event, so poker can't be in too much of a decline.

It won't happen.

Agree. 6000 if they are lucky...Best

[mbreon 0]

Perhaps the sales of poker chip sets have been in decline because everyone and their mother now owns a poker chip set, negating the reason to buy another.  They are planning for 8000 at this year's WSOP Main Event, so poker can't be in too much of a decline.

It won't happen.

Well, at least half of those seats will be to internet qualifiers, so I won't be the least bit surprised if it comes close....

[Goadfish1729 0]

I was thinking it was the exact opposite yesterday... when i tought half my relatives Hold'em. They seemed interested in the game and are all regular casino-goers, so I created nearly 20 fish for Michigan poker rooms.

[gcirons 0]

No bust to this bubble, because it is not a bubble. Poker has been a a house hold favorite for years just like; Gin, Bridge and crazy 8's. The only reason that Hold'em has become so huge that it can be called a bubble is the advent of the mini-cam so that vewiers can see the players positions- couple that with a comunity board and it makes for good TV.It is here to stay? Asking if poker is going to fade is like asking someone in 1890 if that crazy Baseball thing is going to go away.Or maybe it will...

[Guest]

I don't know if it is fading yet....but I think the supply way over shot the demand. You can buy chip sets at Walgreens for censoreds sake. Way too many people and companies tried to cash in on this poker boom and I think it backfired on a lot of people due to the massive over saturation.I think....sadly....the next thing the needs to happen to continue the success of poker is that they need to start treating the professionals like professionals. Have them PUBLICLY sponsored for tournaments. I think the pros were thrown into this a wee bit too fast ....and many of the pros do not have the true business savvy like professional atheletes have. Sure they're making incredible bank....but they aren't looking far enough in the future. Landing a $10 million contract/deal for some poker garbage is sweet....I certainly wouldn't turn it down. But after taxes, paying off agents and assistants that go along with it, and then living the life....something else is going to have to come around to continue living the life and to make sure your family won't have to worry about anything financially for the rest of their lives....or you'll wind up like Mike Tyson.For instance....look at Full Tilt. Here you have a commercial with 9 pros sitting around a poker table. When is the last time you saw 9 first rate professional atheletes climb into a Buick and drive around. You don't.....you have Tiger alone, and the other top golfers promote other crap. Poker's top rate players need to have....oh god I can't believe I'm about to say this.......more of a NASCAR mentality and censored themselves out to a wider variety of products. It's time to get the hell out of the Full Tilt sorority and put on a UPS hat or something.

Everyone and there brother is trying to cash in on poker. Hell i got 3 sets for free from PSO. I wish i would have taken the points instead, chip sets are like water right now unless they are top quality or personallized.

[SavageHenry 0]

I think a lot of people are realizing how hard it is to actually make good money playing poker. They give it a go, maybeget lucky win a bit, hit the inevitable downswing and thats it. A lot of the popularity is from the "anybody can win" kind of California gold rush mentality which makes people think they will get rich but the truth of it is like the goldrush only a very very few will see any money at all. I made about 2k this last year playing 2-3 10+1 an 20+2s a day, the occcasional MTT and some micro limit PL omaha which got me a PSP and some other toys and my family christmas present this year. However getting that 2k profit involved me nearly blowing my entire 1200 dollar bankroll and then kicked, scratched, bit and chewed my way from 60 dollars left in my account to over 2k then tilted off half that before rallying with some MTT final tables to finish +2k for the year. That being said i love watching the pros play. I started out hating Poker Superstars but it got better at the end. Monte Carlo Millions is by far my favorite show in the past year...for some reason i like schoenfield as commentator and id watch Ivey play solitaire. World series...eh...it was for hte most part re-donkulous...but i still watched.

[Dixie Wrecked 0]

Obviously poker wont continue to grow at the rate it has been but it will not fade away. I believe it is here to stay. People enjoy going to the casino to have a good time and now more than ever people that hadnt before, now drop by the poker room. Also, I know several people who dont play at all but enjoy watching it on TV. Poker is a great spectator sport and will remain a staple on cable TV, heck, look at how long billiards and bowling have been on TV and poker has and will continue to surpass them in popularity.