The Brand new poker?

Poker has gone through many stages and evolutions in its long and varied history. The game of ‘poker’ has constantly changed as old games faded away and new bright games took their place in the hands and hearts of poker players.

The speed of poker evolution in the last 10 years has dwarfed anything that happened before, mostly for the good of poker, although not all progress is always ‘good progress’. As poker becomes more mainstream and more of a business, it suffers from being commercially infected. And, as has been proven by poker especially, the love of money is the root of all evil.

As poker becomes mainstream its image needs to be smartened up if it is to be sold to the masses, the general public. The very same people who may have given poker a chance – then came along the Full Tilt fiasco and the US Government – which may have confirmed to a lot of people that poker is not just illegal but perhaps immoral.

Poker needs to be made safe and cleaner for the modern man and women. Much like English football was deliberately taken away from its working and fighting mans roots, starting back in the very late 80s and finished off with the Premier League era. You get more money spent by families at the actual football ground than you do by football loving working men who spend most of their money in the pubs before and after a game.

Families do not want to stand and seating increases the cost of tickets. So poorly paid workers, those who had traditional watched the games, could not afford to go. Also, football clubs could not make much replica shirt money out of ‘The Casuals’!

With all that has happened in the past year, including all the poker player and Tournament Director cheating scandals, poker may have no choice but to rebrand itself. If it wants to sell itself and part of its soul to the worlds population.

International Federation of Poker (IFP) - the Brand new poker?

And at the end of the day is it a bad thing? For poker to become truly global, tournament prize money to increase, live and online cash games to become busier … for poker players and loving the game of poker to be seen the same as supporting your local team (or Manchester Utd). For poker and poker players to finally be respected and respectable.

Although some of us will always hanker for the slightly more ‘locals only’ pubs, clubs, poker rooms and old poker.

The evolution of poker

Poker 1.0 old poker
Poker 1.1 WSOP
Poker 2.0 online poker
Poker 2.1 Moneymaker poker
Poker 3.0 post Black Friday
poker 4.0 The Brand new poker?

International Federation of Poker (IFP)

The International Federation of Poker appears to be the organisation that will attempt to rebrand old poker and post Black Friday poker to create our Brave New Poker world – Brand new poker 4.0

This is how the IFP blow their own trumpet.

The International Federation of Poker IFP, is the official governing body for poker, promoting poker and its duplicate variation as a skill game and Mind Sport

Not sure what the ‘duplicate variation as a skill game and Mind Sport’ will mean to many people but it seems to be a variation of team poker, copied from duplicate Bridge. What the IFP really mean is the idea that the IFP will promote poker as a true sport. The IFP will promote poker as a Mind Game sport, up their with Chess and Mousey Mousey. And if people still don’t get it there is a rumour that they have spent over $10 million on PR and advertising! They do seem to have a rather large budget.

They have introduced various ideas, plans, tournaments and other stuff. Starting with the Nations Cup which went went according to plan for the PR wish list as Germany, the new hotspot for poker with this years WSOP Main Event Champion, won the Nations Cup title.

Official World Poker Champion?

For the first time in the game there is now an official World Poker Champion … Known as “The Table”, the IFP World Poker Championship featured 135 players comprising of amateurs, celebrities and some of poker’s biggest names, competing in an invitation-only Texas hold’em tournament for the title of IFP World Poker Champion … Ultimately it was Mestre who took first prize and the title of Official World Champion

Victoria Coren finished 2nd. It would have been perfect if a lady had won it but you can not have everything. That’s Poker for you.

Not sure if this Official World Poker Champion is the best way to start showing your credentials and poker players that you are legitimate. Nothing about it shouts Official World Poker Champion, in fact it shouts out Celeb Poker Tournament. Which I think most poker players wish had never ever been created.

I have always wondered how an organisation becomes the official world authority on something when it has never existed before or taken over something else?

IFP poker site?

What is in it for the International Federation of Poker itself and its workers? The knowledge of doing a good deed, earning a good wage, and perhaps making a little bit of money from the IFP poker site to be launched in 2012.

Contact the International Federation of Poker (IFP)?

We contacted the president of the International Federation of Poker (Anthony Holden president@int.pokerfed.org) with a long list of questions concerning live and especially online poker. He did not respond. We have also now contacted the general email (info@int.pokerfed.org) about an online poker Network Ombudsmen for online poker players, hopefully the IFP will respond this time.
 

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