Most new poker players are mobile

This week Barry Carter learned the percentage of players using mobile vs desktop, and it's something we should all be paying attention to.

Last week I tweeted out a poll asking what percentage of poker players did my followers think played poker on a smartphone or tablet, compared to a desktop or laptop. The survey was a low turnout, but more than 50% assumed that 25% or less played on mobile devices. My instinct was much higher, I would have said it was somewhere between 35% and 45%, in part because many years ago I interviewed Jeffrey Haas who predicted by 2013 half of all players would be mobile.

This week I interviewed Séverin Rasset of PokerStars on a number of things, you can see that interview this weekend, but until then here is a sneak peak I found fascinating:

The consumer trends of today’s mobile-first generation continue to be evident among our customers as currently the majority of new registrations, approximately 80%, come from mobile devices.

That is a pretty mind-blowing figure, I never expected it to be that high. It’s important to note that this is new players, not existing players, so the actual percentage of active mobile users right now will be much lower than 80%. When you also consider that PokerStars have such a large market share, you can safely assume that the 80% figure is an industry trend, not just specific to them.

Fast fun formats 

But if we are to assume that the number one priority in poker, for players and industry alike, is attracting new players to the game, it is a statistic we should really pay attention to.

This obviously explains the trends we are seeing in online poker to speed up the game. Fast fold poker like Zoom or FastForward, lottery formats like Spin & Go or Twister, FLOPOMANIA, streamlined lobbies, even faster MTT formats like Beat The Clock or Bubble Rush. These are all making poker faster and more convenient for players on the go. You could even argue that innovations in live poker like shot clocks and single antes are following this trend, in that the mobile generation is becoming less patient overall.

You simply cannot play a nine hour tournament on an iPad, your neck would give up on you before your battery did. This also explains why the general trend of decreasing rakeback benefits is not bothering newer players, because it is very hard to grind multiple tables on a mobile device.

Convienience first, glory later

Online poker is not competing with live poker anymore, or casino games, it is competing with Angry Birds and Netflix. Poker needs to be fast and convenient (not to mention fun), to keep mobile players happy. I also recently spoke with Dave Pomroy, the head of Unibet Poker, and he revealed that the percentage of new players who sign up and play on the browser only version of their client is also surprisingly large. Downloading an app in itself is becoming a barrier to entry.

This doesn’t mean that long poker tournaments are dead, far from it. In the same upcoming interview Séverin also shared with me how PKO tournaments are becoming popular for serious and casual players alike. As I have written before, even though PKOs are lengthy, they still respect a hobby player’s time by rewarding bustouts right away. Then you have the mega events like PowerFest, SCOOP, 888 XL and all the Sunday Majors which are going from strength to strength. It’s the fast formats that get new players through the door, then the big guaranteed MTTs are the ‘big leagues’ for the players who stick around.

What does this mean for you as a player? I think simply that if you want to find the good games, keep an eye on the formats that offer fun and convenience, because that’s where the softest games will probably be. Serious players are sometimes too quick to discount faster formats where edges are lower, they forget that this is where casual players taking their first steps are. It should also be a reminder that casual players are in it for fun more than glory, and they could easily take their time and money over to Netflix instead. So keep it fun and friendly.

Do you play on a smartphone or tablet? Let us know in the comments: