The Poker Hall of Fame inductee expects online poker to become the new norm
Amid uncertain times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many pro players are analyzing the future of the industry post-pandemic. Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson has a lot of experience in the poker space and she weighed in recently on several things, including the future of the online poker industry. She still predicts a dark future for land-based poker rooms, which she doesn't think will be up and running anytime soon.
For more than two months, the poker industry went through dramatic changes; it's now been over two months since the first shut down orders were given to casinos and other nonessential businesses. Since then, online poker has experienced a boom like never seen before - for obvious reasons. "I predict that online poker will become much more popular over the next year," said Johnson. She added that the hope is for other states to consider legalizing this activity as it can bring a safer scenario for poker players to compete in. Especially with all the touching chips and cards that go on at a normal land-based scenario.
Another prediction Johnson made was regarding a raise in poker home games. Playing short-handed is a serious condition that can keep players away from regular poker rooms and casinos. People will figure out other ways to play with enough players, like running home games in which more players can be seated at the same time. For Johnson, there are also social and travel aspects of live poker that are important for a lot of players. That is one aspect in which online poker falls behind in-person games, so most likely poker will find a way to come back and find a new normality at some point.
