I used to do stand up comedy. Back in the 80s (before I got into it) you could get a gig anywhere and there was a real excitement about it (from what I've heard). By the mid 90s, 75% of the clubs had closed and the amateur scene usually amounted to a bunch comedians giving group therapy to each other in otherwise empty coffee shops. Not fun.

I'd bet eventually poker will revert back to nothing but pros beating each other up in less and less card rooms, and shrinking online pools--all the while watching the door for that rarer and rarer "live one" to walk in. Anyone know if that's what it was like in the 70s and 80s?

All booms eventually return to earth. The question is when? My guess is that when all the celebrities (except Gabe Kaplan) are gone from the scene, that'll be the start of the decline. More precisely: when Jennifer Tilly dumps Phil Laak.