Why did poker explode in 2004? (1 Viewer)

[Psypher1000]

What's a bacon bitch? Is that something like a beer angel?

 

[David O]

What's a bacon bitch? Is that something like a beer angel?

Maybe an overweight female???

 

[RainmanTrail]

The movie Rounders had a pretty big influence in the early 2000s. I started playing in card rooms underage before Rounders came out in 1998, and there was a pretty big difference in the poker world after that movie started gaining traction, which took a while. It became a huge movie slowly over time. It wasn't big in theaters, but it blew up after it went to DVD.

This is really what started it all IMO. After that, the poker world grew a lot. More players got interested, and ESPN decided to invest in it. Hole cams came along after the interest was there. Then, the Moneymaker story is where things exploded. It was on primetime TV, online poker had already bloomed, so a ton of players were watching his entire journey. They followed him for a ways just because of his name... then, he wins it!

It jumped the shark after black Friday, but I still have faith in its return... hold on to those sets gang! Haha. If online poker comes back, none of us will be able to build our dream sets anymore although, perhaps there will be some new gems in the chipping world by then!

 

[Old State]

I don't think it is accurate to say "poker has died" as there is significantly more people playing poker now than before the boom.

The affect of the boom is still evident. NLH is now the defacto poker game where prior to the boom any poker that I played was 7card stud. With the boom I had a regular weekly cash game that was orignally Limit Holdem. When the casinos went to cash NLH that's when my group wanted to switch.

Well, that weekly game we had for 4 years, sometimes two tables, quickly dwindled. Most of the players couldn't handle NL on a regular basis playing the wild loose style that was popular in 2003-06. So I blame the reality of NL on the cool off.

I recently played in Atl City for the first time in a few years. The game has settled down tremendously. The Borgata cash games in the first few years they were open were crazy wild. They are now tight and passive.

Now that I am married and my children are past the toddler stage, poker has picked up in my neighborhood so I started researching new playing cards (my old Copags all bled and half my Kems warped) and cleaning my 15 years old ASM chips from the sputz they accumulated years ago....hence why I just joined this forum.

 

[Psypher1000]

Now that I am married and my children are past the toddler stage, poker has picked up in my neighborhood so I started researching new playing cards (my old Copags all bled and half my Kems warped) and cleaning my 15 years old ASM chips from the sputz they accumulated years ago....hence why I just joined this forum.

Welcome, and great first post!

Once you get those ASM's cleaned up, be sure to post some pics (or, post before & after pics!). They customs? Eagles?

 

[Old State]

Welcome, and great first post!

Once you get those ASM's cleaned up, be sure to post some pics (or, post before & after pics!). They customs? Eagles?

Thanks! They are custom chips made by the old pokerchips.com group in 2002 (ASMs correct?). They only had one color edge spot option and insert size then. I also have 1000 plain clay chips from them that they gave me because they messed up my custom order so bad and had to remake them. 6 month wait. The customs aren't really visibly dirty, but a bit tacky. When compared to the plain ones that I rarely used, the tackiness is apparent.

Can these be ultrasound cleaned?

Here are pics of my table and set up and room. I built the table and bar. Also in the pic are pre USPC Kems that DIDNT bow after several years storage. The others did, pre AND post USPC. The Copags faded and bled to the point they are unusable.

 

[courage]

Nice setup.

Nobody has yet found a way to ultrasonically clean ASM/CPC chips. TSP will dissolve them as well as Oxy. Dawn dishsoap foams like an I Love Lucy episode.

 

[Old State]

Nice setup.

Nobody has yet found a way to ultrasonically clean ASM/CPC chips. TSP will dissolve them as well as Oxy. Dawn dishsoap foams like an I Love Lucy episode.

Ok thanks. I was trying to determine that from the posts here. I cleaned 20 last night by hand with soapy water and they came out fine. Now I only have 980 to go!!

Actually I may only clean the $1, $5, and maybe $25s. They were by far the most used.

From what I gather, Gemaco superflex are the cards to get now? I played at Harrahs in AC last week and they used them. I did notice a lot of the cards had the ink chipped off in spots so I was a little skeptical.

 

[mummel]

Thanks! They are custom chips made by the old pokerchips.com group in 2002 (ASMs correct?). They only had one color edge spot option and insert size then. I also have 1000 plain clay chips from them that they gave me because they messed up my custom order so bad and had to remake them. 6 month wait. The customs aren't really visibly dirty, but a bit tacky. When compared to the plain ones that I rarely used, the tackiness is apparent.

Can these be ultrasound cleaned?

Here are pics of my table and set up and room. I built the table and bar. Also in the pic are pre USPC Kems that DIDNT bow after several years storage. The others did, pre AND post USPC. The Copags faded and bled to the point they are unusable.

I absolutely love your bar setup. Amazing.

 

[Psypher1000]

Ok thanks. I was trying to determine that from the posts here. I cleaned 20 last night by hand with soapy water and they came out fine. Now I only have 980 to go!!

Actually I may only clean the $1, $5, and maybe $25s. They were by far the most used.

From what I gather, Gemaco superflex are the cards to get now? I played at Harrahs in AC last week and they used them. I did notice a lot of the cards had the ink chipped off in spots so I was a little skeptical.

If you can get them, those are great cards. The trick is...well, getting them. Lots of people also like Fournier's, Modiano platinum acetates, and a newish brand called...Guild? I think? The Guild cards compare very favorably with Modiano acetates and seem to be in fact made from the same/similar stock and/or card designs. Cards really come down to personal preference. Some people hate Copags but they're okay be me. Others swear by Kem's or other brands. In the end it's whatever works for you and your crew.

 

[mummel]

If you can get them, those are great cards. The trick is...well, getting them. Lots of people also like Fournier's, Modiano platinum acetates, and a newish brand called...Guild? I think? The Guild cards compare very favorably with Modiano acetates and seem to be in fact made from the same/similar stock and/or card designs. Cards really come down to personal preference. Some people hate Copags but they're okay be me. Others swear by Kem's or other brands. In the end it's whatever works for you and your crew.

I have a game in 2 weeks and will do a review of my new Fourniers.

 

[Old State]

Kardwell has Gemaco but the shipping is crazy high. Are the Five Stars same as the superflex?

Sorry to derail the thread.

Back on topic, when I was at Borgata last Monday people said they removed 10 tables from there huge room but they still were one of the most profitable poker rooms in the US. They had their big summer tourney last week. 10-12 years ago there would have been a 1hr wait to get in a $1/2 NL table. I sat right down.

Harrahs $65 tourney on Wednesday night had 87 people (I came in 8th) but the cash room had only 4 tables going.

That said, I think that has more to do with PA taking players away. The rest of the casino wasn't as hopping as in the past. Borgata had MOSTLY $10 blackjack tables and a few $25. 10 years ago you couldn't find anything less than $25 at Borgata.

I live in PA but haven't played poker yet. Can't comment on how many people are playing.

 

[jbutler]

Thanks! They are custom chips made by the old pokerchips.com group in 2002 (ASMs correct?). They only had one color edge spot option and insert size then. I also have 1000 plain clay chips from them that they gave me because they messed up my custom order so bad and had to remake them. 6 month wait. The customs aren't really visibly dirty, but a bit tacky. When compared to the plain ones that I rarely used, the tackiness is apparent.

Can these be ultrasound cleaned?

Here are pics of my table and set up and room. I built the table and bar. Also in the pic are pre USPC Kems that DIDNT bow after several years storage. The others did, pre AND post USPC. The Copags faded and bled to the point they are unusable.

Let's get some closeups of those chips! They look great.

Kardwell has Gemaco but the shipping is crazy high. Are the Five Stars same as the superflex?

Sorry to derail the thread.

Back on topic, when I was at Borgata last Monday people said they removed 10 tables from there huge room but they still were one of the most profitable poker rooms in the US. They had their big summer tourney last week. 10-12 years ago there would have been a 1hr wait to get in a $1/2 NL table. I sat right down.

Harrahs $65 tourney on Wednesday night had 87 people (I came in 8th) but the cash room had only 4 tables going.

That said, I think that has more to do with PA taking players away. The rest of the casino wasn't as hopping as in the past. Borgata had MOSTLY $10 blackjack tables and a few $25. 10 years ago you couldn't find anything less than $25 at Borgata.

I live in PA but haven't played poker yet. Can't comment on how many people are playing.

Borgata's high limit action has decreased, but it's volume is up which is why they stay in the black. What you observed in the pit is present in the poker room as well. Even when I started going to the Borgata in 2009, there would be $25/50 NL/PLO and $800/1600 mixed games going every weekend with $100/200+ NL/PLO and $2k/4k mixed going once a month or so. Nowadays you never see higher than $25/50 NL/PLO and very rarely see higher than $400/800 mixed, but there are twice as many $5/10 NL tables and a $5/10/20 PLO game going every weekend.

You have it right that they've suffered from the appearance of PA casinos, but they've also been hurt by the overall decline of Atlantic City.

 

[Old State]

Here is a close up. Not many options in 2001-2002 so this was about as crazy as it got. I would have probably went with ceramic chips if they were available then or at least bigger inserts. My Dad is a graphic artist and could design all kinds of things I could have used on ceramics.

I have 200 $1 and 300 $5 as our regular game was $3/6 limit then $1/2 NL. These are the dirty ones. The rest were for tourneys. We used to have 7 forty players tourneys a year but is was just myself and two guys always hosting. Got tired of that so stopped. The interest was still there. I have the .50 and blank blues for quarters for smaller stakes games I sometimes play with family.

The other pic is looking behind the table....

As for the Borgata, I didn't see that kind of variety but it was a Monday night. I think most the games were $1/2 and $2/5

As for the decline of poker, there are still several poker shows on TV ... so that must mean something.

 

[mummel]

That man cave is sick.

 

[Old State]

That man cave is sick.

Thanks. It took a while to put together

 

[Kyle]

Thanks! They are custom chips made by the old pokerchips.com group in 2002 (ASMs correct?). They only had one color edge spot option and insert size then. I also have 1000 plain clay chips from them that they gave me because they messed up my custom order so bad and had to remake them. 6 month wait. The customs aren't really visibly dirty, but a bit tacky. When compared to the plain ones that I rarely used, the tackiness is apparent.

Can these be ultrasound cleaned?

Here are pics of my table and set up and room. I built the table and bar. Also in the pic are pre USPC Kems that DIDNT bow after several years storage. The others did, pre AND post USPC. The Copags faded and bled to the point they are unusable.

Cool looking place to play some cards!(y) :thumbsup: