Match Poker Online is trying to transform poker into sporting competition and an Olympic sport. It's a long and difficult process, but the folks at International Federation of Match Poker are up for the task. In the meantime, Match Poker Online launched their new app on Feb. 14, and players participate in Battle Royale mode and compete in upcoming seasons to determine who's the premier poker players in the world.
The 2022 Winter Olympics are in full swing, and the world is engrossed in rooting for their home country and their favorite athletes compete against other nations in the spirit of goodwill in cold weather games. This is the perfect time to bring up the fun, but serious debate about the sportification of poker and one organization's mission to make poker an Olympic sport. Just think about the possibility of a future when Fedor Holz competes for an Olympic gold medal from Germany against Daniel Negreanu representing Canada in poker. It's a big dream, but then again, more millions of people play poker in the world than patriciate in the biathlon, yet they give away precious medals for that odd, yet exciting event every four years. It's about time, the IOC recognizes that people on a global scale and compete against one another.
The luck factor is the big issue. Poker is a game of skill, but the detractors say it's no difference than other casino games of chance. In order to remove any of the factor of luck, Match Poker conjured up a concept in which players compete against one another playing the same hand so everyone has the same exact opportunity to succeed.
With the luck factor removed, players are judged on their skill. That's what makes Match Poker unique and fun. Yes, in one sense the normal Texas hold'em skills are in play against those seated at your table. But the twist is that you're actually competing against other competitors who also occupy your seat on a duplicate table with the same hands and hole cards for everyone involved. You earn points depending on how you played out your hand.
The concept has been attempted before with Duplicate Poker, but the spirit and vibe is the same.
"Match Poker shows you how better players played exactly the same cards, offering a unique learning experience," said Match Poker Online head of customer relations Jake Colman. "Plus, the app collects stats on your play and uses them to tell you if you are playing too aggressively, too passively, too loose, or too tight."
Match Poker Online launched their new app on Monday, February 14. It's now available whether you download apps, so you can check it out and give it a test run. You'll find out that it's got a smooth interface and easy to use.
The Battle Royale mode is their specialty. You compete against six six-handed tables in real time and against real players. You're competing against everyone who is in your exact seat at other tables.
"It's not poker as you've ever played it before – it's a Battle Royale where you compete against opponents playing the same hand as you to survive elimination," said Colman. "This makes it a pure test of skill – a sport – an official mind sport. And, for the first time in the history of poker, you can obtain an official world ranking. No other poker experience gives you this."
Like all cool video game apps, there's season to compete in to see how you stand up to your peers. The first season will come out soon, so stay tuned for more details on how you can earn a spot on your country's national team.
There will be more seasons coming down the road, so you'll have multiple chances to find out if you're one of the best Match Poker players in your region. They will also unveil new games types and additional features.
Match Poker will host national events of almost every ranking level. The International Federation of Match Poker will monitor the national events, because this their intent on how to transform Match Poker an Olympic sport.
In addition, players on the Match Poker app have access to their dense database of thousands of results of every hand played. This gives players, especially newcomers, an opportunity to gain insight into becoming a better poker player. There's also a "Famous Hands" function to let players explore some of the biggest and craziest hands in poker history.
