Does Poker Really Need a New Moneymaker?

Is Poker Content in Crisis?

It depends on the angle. There are still plenty of sources of great content: vlogs, blogs, streams, shorts, TikToks, podcasts, interviews, etc., which provide a basis for other content, including our own articles.

More than half of modern poker content contains game-related knowledge, while the rest is more focused on making you laugh. There is also a not-so-rare-anymore category of content about cheaters — but even when it is useful, it’s not really helpful in terms of making poker attractive to non-players.

However, truly useful educational content faces two huge problems that only deepen over time: repetitiveness and specificity.

Repetitiveness is the reason why pillars of professional poker such as bankroll management, healthy routines, GTO vs gut feeling, and similar topics have become almost memes. It’s not because they aren’t true or effective, but because they’re included in almost every “unique” poker insight from poker pros. And that’s not very interesting — either for newcomers or seasoned players.

Specificity is the reason why people who might be interested in poker as a game don’t even give it a try: they just can’t figure out the basics. That’s because almost every content creator focuses on communicating with existing players and not on being a teacher for non-poker minds. Or they just make extensive SEO-driven material that contains a lot of words and repetition, but is neither specific enough nor simple enough for a beginner.

Another big social problem for poker content is that many poker players who have become public speakers — either by making their own content or appearing on podcasts — have revealed themselves as people with quite boring lives wrapped around the game.

In a world of economic turbulence, where the majority of people gravitate toward a “more life, less work” lifestyle, this revelation is harmful to the game. It shows non-players that poker can’t give them what they want and requires too much time without a guaranteed outcome to even try. It doesn’t matter how sweet poker promos are or how much money Bert Stevens won in the WSOP Online Main Event — if people have to live in the poker room for a slim chance at a prize, they simply don’t want to choose it anymore.

Meanwhile, entertainment content also has its own sins. It requires a lot of time, imagination, and taste to make, but the results rarely succeed at elevating poker. For the most part, this type of content is either superficial, too simple to make the game look cool and attractive to smart people, or too specific and narrow-themed to be understandable to newcomers. And not many people are driven by the exclusivity of a specific community as motivation to join it. For example, ask Warhammer tabletop fans how well a closed system that isn’t friendly to newbies works in marketing terms.

But these aren’t the only problems with poker content and the industry as a whole. Most of all, our industry struggles with a lack of personalities. Yes, most of us love Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, and other poker stars — but we’ve loved them for 20+ years in a row. For a lot of young adults, they’re just wrinkled “old-school” dudes or even just names from poker history. They’ve already motivated enough players in our community but are largely unknown to new blood and can’t inspire them to choose poker as a career.

And new faces in poker aren’t as appealing as the old ones were in their time — not because they aren’t charismatic or cool (remember that MrBeast tried poker and even that wasn’t enough!), but because they don’t have a mind-blowing poker story behind them to create something similar to the Moneymaker Boom.

There are a lot of reasons for this.

Firstly, poker has become more difficult to conquer with the development of solvers, trainers, calculators, and other tools for professional players.
Secondly, poker regulations have only become stricter since Black Friday 2011 — not only in the USA but all over the world.
Thirdly, while the COVID-19 lockdown helped poker significantly due to people being stuck at home — fair to say, it was a time of growth for everything you could do indoors and online, especially tabletop and video games — it also ingrained a resistance to staying home for long periods of time. A significant part of the population doesn’t want to play poker online without having the option to end the game whenever they want and go out. Meanwhile, they also don’t have a casino or poker club nearby to play live without isolation.

How Do Poker Operators Try to Attract New Blood?

The show must go on, so poker operators must do something to keep their business afloat and help the industry find another point of “boom.”

There have been many attempts over the years, for example:

• Creating new “more fun and dynamic” game formats: Zoom, Spin & Go, Mystery Bounty, Flip & Go, Bomb Pot, Battle Royale, 7-Day No Rathole, All-In or Fold, etc.
• Forming online teams, hiring streamers, and recruiting actors, athletes, and influencers to represent brands and attract their audiences to poker.
• Moving WSOP, WSOP Circuit, Asian Poker Tour, and other live series to an online format with almost global access.
• Producing poker shows, TV series, documentaries, duels, challenges, etc.
• Expanding satellite offerings to live events.
• Banning third-party software such as trackers, often alongside the launch of internal HUDs.
• Increasing the randomness in poker via rakeback payments and promotional rewards.

Most of these efforts have brought short-term positive outcomes, but nothing has come close to replicating the Moneymaker Boom. Why?

Well, new formats quickly became just one more option in the lobby where you can’t win much after spending your time and money. Some of them are too randomized and look too similar to casino games to uphold poker’s image as a truly intellectual game.

Going online made some series less valuable and unique — and thus less attractive — in the eyes of the public. For example, in past years, simply going to Las Vegas to play the WSOP, even without cashing, was a huge deal that brought players respect from peers — not to mention reaching ITM or winning an event. But now all you need is a device and money for buy-ins. It’s more accessible, no doubt, but less prestigious because of that.

Poker video content has failed to be digestible to a wide audience. It’s too specific, most poker players are too boring to watch, and you can’t root for participants in a sport you don’t understand — especially if no one explains the rules or why a certain moment is extraordinary.

And the number of affiliated players has grown so large that we may soon need a poker calculator just to count them. Even small poker rooms — where seeing two players in the lobby at the same time is a rich day — rush to create some link to poker pros, thinking that affiliation helps players feel the room is trustworthy.

Can TV Shows or Movies Make Poker Desirable?

Our team agrees with Dustin Iannotti that a mainstream poker TV series on a major streaming service like Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or HBO could help attract more people to poker.

However, we don’t fully agree with his use of The Queen’s Gambit and Drive to Survive as comparison points.

Well, The Queen’s Gambit’s effect on chess can’t be referenced without acknowledging the special circumstances in which it happened:

• The Queen’s Gambit premiered during the lockdown. It was a major show based on a fictional story that people watched simply because they didn’t have many other options during COVID-19.
• It’s about chess — one of the most ancient logical games, traditionally respected worldwide as both an intellectual game and a sport. It has licensed schools around the world and, more importantly, societal respect.
• It featured a unique-looking female protagonist who intellectually dominates other women, men, and even unbeatable Soviet chess geniuses. At a time when the next wave of the feminist movement was gaining momentum — and with the Botez sisters among the most recognizable names in chess — the series fit the moment perfectly.

Meanwhile, Drive to Survive and Formula 1 had several major advantages: high-octane racing action, unique aesthetics, and most importantly, real human drama involving already world-famous names like Michael Schumacher.

Poker has never had that level of real-life dramatism, and it’s hard to create a fictional poker story that feels believable or interesting to a wide audience. Don’t believe us? Watch Dead Money (2024), The Rise & Fall of The Poker Dream (2023), or Poker Face (2022).

Compared to chess, poker is relatively young and still heavily stigmatized due to associations with casinos and gambling addiction.
It’s also more random than chess and less accessible globally — even illegal in some regions, with harsh penalties.
And even in countries where poker is legal or at least not punished, there are often strict regulations on poker-related marketing — and who knows how regulators might restrict a poker TV series or film?

How to Improve Poker Content and the Industry Itself

If we want a new boom, we need a story as powerful as Chris Moneymaker’s — but one that resonates more with modern audiences. That’s why Dustin’s idea is actually so promising: people love TV shows, especially when they uplift and give them someone to relate to or aspire to become.

So far, TV and movie makers haven’t cracked the formula. Maybe Dustin will. We can only support him and wish him luck.

As for poker rooms, they can keep experimenting and maybe one day they’ll recreate the Moneymaker Effect. For example, they could:

• Try creating brand-new poker variants that haven’t been “solved” yet but are simple to play.
• Continue popularizing non-Hold’em games like Omaha, Stud, Razz, etc., but do it creatively, with a focus on making them more accessible to newcomers.
• Rethink ambassadorship: fewer players, but higher quality and consistency as part of a team, rather than an ever-shifting football squad of affiliates.
• Make fun educational content for beginners — cartoons, mini-series, stand-up routines — anything that reaches different audiences.

As a community, we can talk about poker more with non-players, helping to destigmatize the game by showing it as a fun way to spend time with friends and family — while also being honest about the ups and downs.

Professional poker players at all levels can be more open about their lives, because people outside the poker bubble have no way of knowing how much love, struggle, and life happens when we’re not at the tables.

Finally, poker media — including our team — can put more effort into sharing players’ stories, if they’re willing to share. We won’t just write about cheaters and promotions. Let’s help each other breathe new life into poker content and elevate it together.