Was Being a Poker Pro Harder in 1997 than Today?

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Wednesday, June 15th, 2016 | Written by Lucy Brown

Daniel Negreanu is no stranger to controversy, and his social media accounts have been known to set off firestorms, as he’s never hesitant to hold back when giving his opinions. At the end of May, the poker star outdid himself creating a huge uproar over comments he made about the current state of poker.

On May 22, he tweeted that it’s easier to make money playing poker now than it was in 1997 before the online poker boom of 2003. He went on to say that the legendary Doyle Brunson could beat any of the “kids” who were excelling at the game today even without the benefits of the Internet, stating:

“The idea that it’s tougher to make money in poker today than in the “old days” couldn’t be further from the truth. So much easier now. Put Doyle Brunson at 40 against ANY of these kids at 25 with no internet. @TexDolly would just murder them and still does most of em’!”

Following the tweets, players of Negreanu’s generation tended to echo his sentiments, while younger players were offended and argued that things are much tougher today.

So who was right? It all depends upon who you ask, and how you view the definition of “difficult.” In the meantime, here are some of the opinions given from both sides of the heated argument.

Why Poker Is More Difficult in the Online Age

Since the dawn of the Internet, the level of difficulty in terms of winning the game has been raised. People can now learn the tricks of the trade through online videos and watching top players streaming on Twitch, while the virtual tables make it possible for people to put in a great deal of practice and improve their poker skills. Whether you’re facing off against experienced players online, or in the casino, you can expect to encounter people who are very knowledgeable about the game, making it more difficult to walk away a winner.

One irate poster by the name of WhiteWhale0928 responding to Negreanu’s tweet had these choice words to say:

“@RealKidPoker 21 y/o would crush 1995 live games not because of gto sims, but because internet generation on avg much smarter than old ppl

Another poster by the name of Will Jaffe made his point by citing the example of Gus Hansen, 42, a hugely successful player with 1 WSOP bracelet and $10,258,052 in live earnings to his name. Over the past few years, however, Hansen has struggled to keep up with the modern game and has since become the biggest online poker loser in the history of the game with more than $20 million in losses. As Jaffe then explains:

“@RealKidPoker one of the most successful players of the WPT era Gus Hansen became the biggest loser of all time in online cash games. I agree that guys had to wing it and create their own strategies back then, but look at the competition.”

Why Poker Was More Difficult Before the Online Age

Although technically the level of difficulty from a winning standpoint is much higher now, Negreanu wasn’t wrong in his statements. He began by saying it was harder to make money playing poker before the online age, and that undoubtedly is true. There are a number of reasons why, including:

– Less Opportunity to Play. Before the age of online poker, professional players were very limited in their options. You couldn’t go online and spend hours grinding to make money. To be a pro, it was necessary to enroll in tournaments and be good enough to walk away with a purse. Because poker hadn’t gone through its boom at that time, the opportunities for tournament players were few and far between.

– Lack of Resources. Poker players who made it big before the dawn of online poker were self-taught. While there were books available on the subject, you couldn’t go online and simply watch videos or observe other players to gain skill. Beginners had to struggle through frequent losses to become accomplished players, making it difficult to make money playing the game.

– Higher Cost to Play. Prior to online poker, there were fewer poker game types available to choose from in tournaments and casinos. There was also a lack of low stakes games. Typically, the least that a player could expect to bet would be at a $2/$4 Limit Holdem tournament. While payouts were obviously higher because stakes were higher, the greater initial cost to play made it more difficult to turn a profit.