Age at the Poker Table
We all know that Texas Hold’em poker online is the game of choice these days. Years ago, most people played stud poker online. Any adept online poker player knew what hold’em was, but he just preferred stud. 5-card or 7-card stud was the king of poker. Today the popularity of hold’em has taken over. Hold’em and another variety of it, called Omaha, have become the most spread games online and in casinos. If you find a stud game at a casino, it’s usually filled with the oldest players in the room; the dinosaurs. They like the game, they have played it all their lives, and there’s little reason for them to change things now. But the opposite is true. Young players coming to the game of poker are interested in exploring these other varieties. After months or a few years of hold’em they become a little bored with the format and their ADD riddled minds have to take on a new challenge. Mixed games are becoming ever more popular. Stud, Razz, Omaha, and Hold’em are thrown into one rotation where the younger players have a bigger edge than the old dinosaurs. In mixed games, all of the varieties are changing and it takes a lot more concentration than playing one game for a few hours. An older player who’s been around the block might know 7-stud in and out, but can he really keep up with the focus of a teenager? If we look at the WSOP this year, a 74-year old man, Freddie Ellis, won event #6, 7-card stud. But in Event #21, H.O.R.S.E., 25-year old Zachary Fellows took down the mixed game. When will age become completely moot in the game of poker?
