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Lifestyle

The Online Poker Boom

June 25, 2013

What used to be a game played in back rooms is now a mainstream activity. Poker is booming on the Net as well. But the odds are different, depending on whether you're playing online or in a game in the real world. SHIFT decided to compare the two.

https://p.dw.com/p/17zrp

Ingo Fiedler from the University of Hamburg estimates that poker portals turn a profit of 4.7 billion euros a year. He believes that, on the Web, this game of chance is more a game of skill. While the same rules apply in online poker rounds and real ones, Fiedler says technology has changed the character of the game. On the Net, players can hold 20 or 30 hands at the same time, allowing them to approach the game in a more strategic manner.