Online poker has had an up-and-down ride since its inception in 1998 when Planet Poker, the first real money website, got up and running.
The sector skyrocketed in the 2000s, fueled by Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event victory, but came to a crashing halt following the event known as the Black Friday crackdown in 2011, which was powered by the passing of the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
Today, the online poker market is again showing tremendous growth, as experts predict it will keep swelling at a rate of 12% per year until 2030, when it should notch an annual take of $170 billion worldwide.
The US market alone stood at $54 billion in 2024, forecasted to show a 14.9% yearly growth, with markets like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan leading the way, thanks to developments like the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).
However, it should be noted that even with poker sites having success in the US, they are only legal in six states, the mentioned three plus Nevada, West Virginia, and Delaware.
For residents of the rest of the US, there are offshore platforms that cater to American players and have good industry standing among both casual and veteran players. These hubs are also playing a massive role in this sphere’s evolution, and below, we explain how they are allowing poker to reclaim its spot in American culture.
Enhanced Accessibility Via High-End Mobile Compatibility
Without argument, the rise of the smartphone has revolutionized online gambling as a whole. These devices have dramatically transformed how people take in online poker, letting them engage with this pastime from anywhere at any time.
For many, it was social gaming apps like Zynga Poker that introduced a whole new generation of people to Texas Hold’em, which aided in the surge in activity at tried-and-tested brands like PokerStars.
Once it became clear that most people would do their gambling remotely, operators turned to enhancing cross-platform compatibility, ensuring fluid gameplay across smartphones, tablets, and PCs.
Now, poker software for tablets and smartphones has become so good, most card gamblers prefer it to enjoying online cash games and tournaments on their desktop machines. That is so because modern USA poker sites have invested heavily in intuitive interfaces and boosted load speeds for seamless performance on even older mobile phones.
Empowerment Through Strategic Tools
Poker, unlike casino games, has an element of skill, and it is possible that one gets so good at this game that long-term profitability looms on the horizon. That is more likely now than ever, as tools have appeared such as PokerSnowie and PioSolver that utilize GTO, Game Theory Optimal strategies to simulate thousands of hands.
That helps players analyze complex scenarios and figure out things like optimal bet sizing in multi-way pots. Top poker hubs have records of users’ hands played, allowing them to analyze these or input them in tracking software like PokerTracker 4 and Hold’em Manager 3, which provide granular stats on win rates, opponent tendencies, and personal leaks.
Adoption of analytics-based play is currently widespread, which is not only due to sites offering up more data for users, but younger players viewing poker as a skill-based endeavor akin to eSports.
Thus, the more data-friendly a platform is, allowing gamblers the use resources that supply a genuine competitive edge, such as those mentioned here.
Freerolls, New Game Formats & Tournaments
Freerolls are a classic sector bait for customer acquisition. They are competitions that cost nothing to enter but can provide cash prizes. Operators recognize their appeal, and that is why most top brands offer daily ones, something that especially holds true for foreign-based websites accepting US players.
Progressive Knockout tournaments are also something that is gaining major traction, and these are contests where participants earn cash rewards for eliminating opponents.
These also carry the name bounty competitions, on account of each player carrying one on their head, which is traditionally half their buy-in. Hyper-Turbo Sit & Go, All-In Shootout, Boost, and N-Stack tournaments, where players choose how many chip stacks to start with, have also found a place online.
As far as game formats, beyond Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha, All-In or Fold format, where gamblers must go all-in or fold each hand, is making noise at poker hubs, adding a touch of diversity the like was not previously offered.
Cryptocurrency Payments
This has been huge for the offshore section of the landscape, as it has allowed foreign sites to have a higher degree of appeal by allowing anonymous play and high-speed transfers that occur in seconds.
That is especially true for cryptos like Solana and Ripple, as went someone uses these, their blockchains can facilitate transactions in seconds.
But, it is not just transfer speed when it comes to crypto-accepting platforms, as these websites usually can allow to offer more generous promos, more interesting loyalty schemes, have a global reach, native tokens tied into novel on-site mechanics, and various social features not found at fiat gambling sites.
They also customarily have official Telegram or Discord groups, where a sense of community gets fostered, and users socialize even when not playing against each other.
