National Poker Fixation On The Way Out?

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Fish:

One thing for sure. The poker explosion will eventually fade. The only questions are When? and How much?

best wishes,
Mason

I just don't know who the hell would by these poker/gambling lifestyle magazines. I opened one of these mags up with one of the lead actors in that crappy show Tilt; he was on the cover. I don't understand the demographic for this mag.

Poker definitely feels dot-com or low carbish. The interesting thing about it is that the bubble will most likely leave poker more popular than before it started. I know that before the surge in popularity, poker was often viewed by younger people as their "uncle's/dad's/etc. game."

[bobbyi]

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I just don't know who the hell would by these poker/gambling lifestyle magazines. I opened one of these mags up with one of the lead actors in that crappy show Tilt; he was on the cover. I don't understand the demographic for this mag.

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Exactly. I don't think these magazines failing shows that people have lost interest in poker. I think it shows that these magazines were terrible. When they first came out, people would buy an issue or two to give it a shot and then they realized how bad it is so they stopped buying.

[larrondo]

I saw something very surprising when I visited a local bookstore (for New Yorkers-- it's the one on Prince off Mulbury and Lafyette, I think. I don't remember the name, it's not a big chain.) What used to be a robust poker section was small, picked over, and very bad. The rest of the store didn't seem to be in any kind of decline, so I didn't know what to make of this.

[Luv2DriveTT]

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I saw something very surprising when I visited a local bookstore (for New Yorkers-- it's the one on Prince off Mulbury and Lafyette, I think. I don't remember the name, it's not a big chain.) What used to be a robust poker section was small, picked over, and very bad. The rest of the store didn't seem to be in any kind of decline, so I didn't know what to make of this.

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I know the store you are speaking about (they sell a truckload of my magazine there), its where I buy most of my poker books. The store's initial stock was not ordered internally, it was provided by Ingram as a "starter kit" when they first opened. As their focus is mostly creative/book aficionados, their purchasing department has not made an effort to restock the category.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

I feel the poker boom and the popularity of poker will decline to some degree. There was a point where it had no where to go but down. I believe Chris Moneymaker said in a playboy interview a while back that he predicted the interest in poker to eventually decline. He stated that people would eventually get tired of watching the same hands race over and over at these final tables. To some degree, I think he was correct. Poker has saturated television to the point that even a poker enthusiast gets tired of seeing it. The bad poker coverage does not help either.

Also, people with high hopes of becoming the next millionaire, player of the year, or WPT champ quickly realized poker is not easy. They rushed out to buy books and videos to discover once more...poker is not easy.

Obviously, the people truly interested in poker and do well are not going anywhere. The WPT fans or the fans who show some interest during WSOP time eventually do fall off. I believe that's what we are seeing. ALLin and Bluff (horrible mag) tried to appeal to the general public and their love of the stars of the game. If you pick up a copy, you see there is not much to offer a serious player. Player bios and tournament coverage of the same poker you have seen all week loses its appeal over time.

I would say it will decline, but the interest levels will never drop below the pre-Moneymaker period. As new players discover they suck, new hotshot kids will take their place in line to try their own shot at glory.

[Lottery Larry]

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Hi Fish:

One thing for sure. The poker explosion will eventually fade. The only questions are When? and How much?

best wishes,
Mason

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Any guesses on the answers? Fade like gasoline prices- to a higher level than before the boom? Or back to approximately the pre-boom levels?

[Jorge10]

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Hi joker:

That's exactly right. None of these magazines are doing anything to distinguish themselves from any of the others. The only exception is our very own Internet magazine.

Best wishes,
Mason

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Ill take it one step further it seems they all copied each other. I got about 6 different ones here I got from different casinos and they all have the same stuff on them.

Also the stuff they have is the type of articles the WSOP has had a player talk about on camera. Like for example Doyles life story, which was on the WSOP and on Beyond the Glory on Fox Sports Net, so theres even video version of this stuff.

The only ones that dont have the same stuff as all the others are Card Player and the 2+2 Magazine and thats why they are the only ones worth reading.

Also one other did try to separate itself from the pack though, Top Pair. It basically tried to combine poker with softcore porn. It still sucks cause the poker material is the same as the others so that sucks and the porn sucks. Overall it sucks at both. That is the only Magazine besides Card Player and the 2+2 Magazine that at least tried something different even if their idea was poorly executed.

Also Poker + Hardcore Porn would seem to be a winner.

I mean old people and kids in their late teens/early 20's play poker and they both have porn addictions. Im shocked someone hasnt done this.

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Jorge:

I understand that Top Pair is currently not publishing.

best wishes,
mason

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Also Poker + Hardcore Porn would seem to be a winner.

I mean old people and kids in their late teens/early 20's play poker and they both have porn addictions. Im shocked someone hasnt done this.

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Sounds like a good idea. "Oh baby, show me your big hole...cards."