So I have just read through the news and saw this:


When I started learning more about poker, I would mostly watch videos on YT from different events, and I have to say, there were like 50 known pros or semi-pros at the time, who I loved watching. Also, whatever the tournament or event was, it was a 100% sure to see at least some of them.

For several years now, I am seeing less and less famous players in events, especially at FTs. For example, I haven't heard of any of the players above.
What happened to players like Esfandiari, Laak, Tricket, Dwan etc. I just don't see them anymore on the felt in live major events.

Professional poker is rapidly growing younger in recent years. It is becoming increasingly difficult for adult players to play in major tournaments that last several days. Some go to expensive cash games with Asian millionaires, others play 1-2 tournaments a year. That's why we don't see them like that. often as before.

Old pros can't stay in the speed with the youngsters are developing in the game.

Y but are all of these players really pros? Or is it that the overall knowledge of all the players, pros and amateurs is getting better?

poker tournaments are tough.even if you are a poker pro you cant win many tournametns in a row.also poker players are getting better so the field is tougher to beat.Esfandiari, Laak, Tricket, Dwan i believe this guys will prefer big money cash games or high roller small field tournaments than some big main event with huge fields

Originally Posted by ekt0rac

poker tournaments are tough.even if you are a poker pro you cant win many tournametns in a row.also poker players are getting better so the field is tougher to beat.Esfandiari, Laak, Tricket, Dwan i believe this guys will prefer big money cash games or high roller small field tournaments than some big main event with huge fields

Tough is fine, but to not see any familiar face out there baffles me.
I also miss watching them. Not only were they playing very good, they were all also very communicative in a nice positive way, they were having fun and it was fun to watch them.

Relaxed, they just started playing less or found some cozy place in the casino and calmly undress a couple of millionaires in the evening

Times change, one thing I can say Doyle F. Brunson will not change. The rest, all coming and going.

Personally I think a big part of this is just that poker is in a phase now where it’s just not as popular as it was at the total height of the poker boom. I do think we’ll see it become even more popular in the future, but for now I think that translates to famous poker players even just not being as big of a deal as they were back then. Names like Phil Hellmuth were practically household names then in a way that they just aren’t anymore (at least for right now!)

Several aspects are contributing to this situation. Poker is growing and constantly expanding to new markets. Now there are more big live tournaments than ever and more and more new players are involved in them. This makes it more difficult to keep track on them and also makes it more difficult for the big names to attend all these tournaments. I think that at least some of the big names on the poker scene from the past that we know are now earning money in cash games which are not televised. To sum it up - fragmentation of the game just makes it more difficult to monitor the scene nowadays.