To become a very good poker player, you must possess a broad set of skills. One of the most important skills of every professional poker player is a proper game selection. Why is it so? There’s a popular saying that illustrates it very well:
You might be the ninth-best poker player in the world, but if you sit at the poker table with the other eight, you will be the loser.
In other words, the average skill level of the games you play will directly influence your bottom line. This article will suggest the most profitable formats in 2024 (and probably beyond).
Live poker game in 2025 will continue to thrive
After several very tough months, live poker players can breathe a sigh of relief. Everything indicates that live poker will be even more popular in the foreseeable future. Let’s look at a few numbers from 2023 & 2024.
- The 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event held annually in Las Vegas ($10,000 buy-in) was the biggest ME ever.
- The 2023 WPT Prime Championship ($1,100) registered 10,512 entries, smashing the $10 million guarantee more than twice.
- The 2023 EPT Prague Main Event (€5,300) was the record-breaker with 1,285 entries and a prize pool of over €6 million.
What’s even better, we could give many more examples of successful live poker festivals from last year, as pretty much all of the major poker sites are organizing or patronizing a popular live festival. Whichever way you want to look at it, it seems like the poker world has recovered from the pandemic crisis and is stronger than it has been before.
Traditionally, big prizes attract a lot of recreational players, which is an obvious selling point for regular players. Whatever the reason for live poker’s popularity, it’s worth noticing. Unless you live in a country where the live poker experience is limited, tournaments and cash games should be a viable option to make a decent profit, as both formats attract a lot of recreational players. If you have such an option, it’s worth giving live poker a try.
Also, keep in mind that even if there are no popular casinos nearby your home, you can always take a poker trip to more popular destinations. If scheduled thoughtfully, you should be able to book comfortable accommodation for attractive rates and spend some quality time in an interesting destination.
Online poker faces some problems, but it’s also in a decent shape
Of course, not everyone is able or likes to travel. If you fall into one of these categories, don’t worry. Given what we saw in 2022 & 2023, we’re confident that in 2024, you will be able to advance your poker career in an online environment.
Despite the various adversities, plenty of people are still willing to play poker online. While the preferences of modern players change with time, two online poker formats remain very popular. In 2022 and 2023, many big poker tournaments were played online, especially as a part of bigger festivals. Tournament series like WCOOP, SCOOP, or WSOP have won the hearts of poker players and are invariably popular.
Enormous prize pools, appealing promotions, and the emotional thrill comparable to the live experience have attracted and will attract players of all skill levels for the years to come. Online poker tournaments have been filled with recreational players since the birth of the industry, and that won’t change anytime soon.
However, if you consider playing online poker tournaments more seriously, you must be aware that it will require some sacrifices. As thrilling as they are, tournaments have some painful downsides, which can sometimes be difficult to overcome.
You can find out more about our take on poker tournaments on our blog, in this article: Spin & Go’s, Multi-Table Tournaments or Cash Games – which game should you pick entering the poker world?
We’re happy to admit that Spins are in great shape
It’s the youngest mainstream poker format, yet many recreational poker players already love it. That should come as no surprise. Spins are fast, thrilling, and offer a chance to score big. In fact, according to the data, a lot of players migrated from other formats to Spins. There are many reasons to love this fast format, but its accessibility is a crucial factor for people playing poker just for fun.
Luckily for us, and in consequence, you, there are poker strategies that prove successful in the Spin and Go environment. Despite the potentially shallow stacks and fast pace, there are many intricacies in the spins’ gameplay. Make no mistake, and do not neglect the complexity of this format.
There’s a lot of room to create a skill edge over the overall population of poker players. Our coaches and their students have been proving this for years, and 2023 & 2024 was no exception.
Seems like we’re living in crazy fast times with no signs of slowing down. Spins perfectly fit the modern requirements of recreational players looking for entertainment.
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