Online poker has seen immense growth over the past two decades. Since the early 2000s when the first online poker sites launched, the game has exploded in popularity. However, in recent years the rate of growth has slowed. This begs the question – in the year 2024, is it too late to start playing online poker? Let’s explore.
The Current State of Online Poker in 2024
As of writing this in 2024, online poker is still going strong but the industry is well past its peak growth years. Back in the poker boom of the 2000s, industry revenue was growing at rates of 40-50% per year. Nowadays growth has slowed to single digit percentages.
That said, online poker still generates around $5 billion per year in gross gaming revenue globally. The player pools are still large, especially on the biggest sites like GGPoker, PokerStars, and partypoker. Smaller sites still maintain decent traffic as well. So while the glory days of exponential growth are over, there remains plenty of action to be had online.
In the United States, the market continues expanding and improving. An increasing number of states have legalized online poker and player pools are gradually getting larger. However only a handful of states currently share player liquidity. Most US markets remain segregated which can make games overly small and volatile. But progress continues to be made on that front.
Getting Started Playing Online Poker in 2024
The process of starting to play online poker in 2024 remains straightforward. First you need to pick an online poker site that services your area. The best options for most players include sites like:
- GGPoker – The industry leader open worldwide to most countries outside the US. They have the largest player pools and most tournament variety.
- PokerStars – Another leading global site with huge tournaments and cash games. They do have tougher games but promote the sport well.
- partypoker – A major operator with softer tournament fields but slightly less traffic than GGPoker or PokerStars.
- WSOP.com – The largest US-facing poker site, available in Nevada and New Jersey. Shared liquidity helps grow contests.
Once signed up with your poker site of choice, you can deposit funds via any of various online payment processors – credit cards, bank accounts, e-wallets, etc. Some sites even offer cryptocurrency options. Check out these poker site reviews for an even bigger selection of sites.
With money in your account, you can jump right into the action playing real money poker hands and tournaments.
Is It Actually Too Late to Start Playing?
Now as for the question of whether 2024 is too late to start playing online poker – the answer is a resounding no. Here are a few major reasons why now remains a fine time to begin:
- Web and Mobile Tech Keeps Improving – Playing poker online now is smoother and more convenient than ever thanks to better web and mobile interfaces. Cool features get added constantly surrounding gameplay, promotions, social interaction and more. The average new player in 2024 has a better experience than those playing back during the “boom days”.
- Poker Strategy Resources Galore – Today there exists more poker strategy content than you could consume in five lifetimes. From books, training courses, video blogs, forums, coaching sites and more – the amount of poker strategy help available dwarfs what early online players had access to. Making rapid improvement playing online nowadays is quite achievable.
- Consistently Large Player Pools – While market growth has slowed substantially, again – those player pools and tournaments aren’t getting any smaller yet. The pools may not be expanding rapidly anymore but they do remain quite substantial. Plenty of weaker opposition still exists even today across all stakes from micros to high.
- Regulated Markets Remaining – Poker hasn’t even been fully legalized and regulated across the world yet. Several key markets like India for example remain untapped or on their way towards regulation. There does still remain growth potential in some areas. And new regulated poker markets help provide stable reliable gameplay environments.
So at the end of the day – there are still many plusses to playing online poker in 2024 no matter if you’re brand new or a returning player. Let’s now cover what newcomers can expect getting their feet wet.
Adjustments New Players Face
While poker sites themselves have greatly improved – the level of opposition continues getting tougher and more savvy. Gone are the extremely loose passive tables full of recreational newcomers calling down with any pair or draw. You need to adapt a thoughtful, aggressive yet balanced approach from the start these days to win.
Some key aspects new poker players face include:
- Learning Crucial Strategy Basics – To avoid donating money quickly, new players must learn fundamentals like hand rankings, position, pre-flop play, pot odds, implied odds, bankroll management and more. The baseline education needed has increased since the old days.
- Studying Away From Tables – Simply playing hands and passively trying to absorb lessons won’t cut it anymore. Successful newcomers engage in off-table study to accelerate their skills. They read books/blogs, watch training videos, sometimes get coaching and more. Those not supplementing gameplay itself with off-table learning will face an uphill battle.
- Embracing Software Tools – Lastly modern online players also sharpen their play using software tools. Programs like equilab, preflop charts, ICM calculators and HUDs help simplify complex concepts and strategy. While beginners needn’t overcomplicate things – gradually adding various poker software does help polish game edges.
Put in the off-table work required to educate oneself on today’s poker landscape – and new players can still thrive very well even in 2024. But the days of showing up and easily printing money while learning organically in the mobile app are over.
Conclusion – Plenty of Poker Rewards Still Up for Grabs
While the upside potential and astronomical growth figures seen during online poker’s early days may never return – the games still remain beatable and profitable in 2024. Both new players and poker veterans can keep winning at substantial rates for years to come.
It just often requires more thoughtfulness, aggression and off-table work in the modern competitive environment. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Poker strategy improvement accelerates when battling tougher opposition.
Will we see any revolutionary changes in 2025 and beyond shaking up the poker world further? Only time will tell there. But the point is – there remain plenty of poker riches able to be won online nowadays and in the coming years.
Even if you’re brand new and starting from scratch in 2024, catching up skill-wise is quite viable. So don’t hesitate to dive in, get your feet wet and start battling at the virtual tables today. Poker still presents tremendous opportunity and with the right dedication – you stand to gain handsomely.