VFX Guest Column | Is the hype of online live host poker over online poker real? -

Guest Column | Is the hype of online live host poker over online poker real?

Poker is a game of skill and real money that involves high stakes. Keeping an eye on the opponent and making a smart move to win makes people consider it a serious and competitive sport

Stick Pool Club co-founder Vivek Singh

Playing poker has always been a great source of entertainment for gaming enthusiasts. With stay-at-home orders, people have found the internet a perfect place to avoid traveling and mass gatherings to play poker. Gaming enthusiasts are becoming more inclined towards the trend of playing online live games that are going beyond being a play and win activity to one of the biggest entertainment tools in the industry. The game has witnessed a tremendous response in the US, the UK and other European nations, India is not far behind.

Over the last decade, online poker has gained prominence in the gaming industry. As the trend of playing poker online has burgeoned in the past decade, several gaming startups are coming up with new and disruptive formats to revolutionise the online gaming sector.  There are multiple tables and different formats being offered to players which is certainly entertaining and thus have tasted success. 

As the innovation bandwagon rolls on, a new concept of live host Poker has been introduced to improve the entertainment value for the players. Even though the strategies and principles applied to both games are the same, there are still major differences that exist in the online and online live host Poker format. 

Online live host Poker facilitates the players with added benefits of interacting with hosts and playing in a livelier realistic atmosphere. It is the first-ever concept launched in India that facilitates human interaction and players can have a real-time conversation with the host online. This feature results in intensive player engagement as the players can video chat with the host just like sitting in a real poker club without the need of actually going to the club, especially during the times when social distancing is of paramount importance.

Furthermore, in online live host Poker, players can experience real-world commentary, club room ambience, playful gifs with opponents, etc. Unlike the other online poker format, the excitement of talking to a human host in online live host Poker breaks the overall monotony of normal poker moves while enhancing virtual social interaction and entertainment. 

When it comes to online poker, it resembles a conventional poker gaming setup that is introduced with 2D/3D format, depending on the operator. The most interaction you can have in online 2D/3D poker is through chat packs or your aggressive/passive gameplay. The mechanical gameplay becomes wearisome for players and often players lose interest in the game due to a lack of communicative/interactive gameplay. It has the advantage of being a quiet form of gameplay. 

Undoubtedly, online live host Poker is more intense and entertaining than online poker. As a player, one needs to be on top of the game all the time. As online live host Poker games present a variety of challenges and opportunities to players by providing enhanced entertainment value than online poker, wherein players can interact with live hosts, clarify their doubts related to gameplay and get extensive support to keep on enjoying hasslefree gameplay. Befriending the host makes the gameplay far more enjoyable and entertaining than any other form of Poker.

(This article has been contributed by Stick Pool Club co-founder Vivek Singh,  AnimationXpress does not necessarily subscribe to these views)