The American poker market has changed drastically since Black Friday.
The overall volume is lower, but the biggest change might be that the U.S. poker market is now home to some of the best players in the world.
Most of the big names made the transition and many new ones have emerged on the felt.
Hot Drop Jackpots You Can Win Every Hour - Our PicksPokerListings France Editor Fabrice Sommavilla recently spoke with five top European pros who have experience playing in the United States and they all agree: The US is a great place to play poker -- if you know what you’re doing.
Interviews with Kevin MacPhee, Christophe De Meulder, Mario Ho, Travis Rice and Julian Thew
Kevin MacPhee
Fabrice Sommavila: You played a lot online in the US before and after Black Friday. How does he rate the current state of the game?
Kevin MacPhee: It's definitely tougher than it was before Black Friday. A lot of professional players from around the world came over to take advantage of the games and the rakeback.
FLS: How do you evaluate the level of play?
River Casino & Hotel - 100,000 Gulf Stream Giveaway | Tribe GamingKM: It's much higher than before Black Friday. All in all I think the games are very beatable at times with very soft games running at PokerStars, but versus regulars --who are also very strong-- it can get pretty tough.
FLS: What's your opinion about online poker in America right now?
KM: I wish there were more sites available because when there are fewer games, the games tend to be better.
"I wish there were more sites available because when there are fewer games, the games tend to be better."
Free No Deposit Poker Sites | Best Free No Deposit Poker 2023FLS: Which site do you like the most?
KM: WSOP.com, hands down. They have the softest high stakes games by far and their $100k Sunday 6-Max is by far the biggest weekly tourney in online poker right now.
FLS: Do you think the WSOP has an advantage on other operators because they can selectively ban winners and hardcore grinders?
KM: Definitely. This gives local players and recreational players a lot safer environment to play in without having to worry too much about sharks.
FLS: Is live poker in the US easy or difficult?
KM: Generally speaking it's quite easy compared to Europe, especially outside Las Vegas. However, in Vegas, it's certainly gotten harder thanks to all the TV shows and poker books available.
FLS: Where do you go and why?
KM: I mostly play in Atlantic City because the games are very soft, even at high stakes, and people are generally very willing to call you off with air -- even if you have a hole card advantage.
Christophe De Meulder
Fabrice Sommavila: How would you assess the current state of online poker in the USA?
Christophe De Meulder: The richest country in term of poker potential is actually the USA, even more so since Black Friday.
Before this tragic day, plenty of very good players from all around the world moved there in order to play.
Many of them stayed and had no reason to leave as the local players quickly bounced back and even improved.
Some of my friends who are killing it there have rarely seen so much skillfully resilient opposition anywhere else in the world.
New UK Casino Sites 2023 - Best New British CasinosIt seems like US players are sick and tired of losing money to Vietnamese farm ants, and I really don't blame them.
That being said, it's still possible to find soft spots, even at the highest stakes.
"The USA is actually the richest country in terms of poker potential."
FLS: Where do you play the most and why?
CMD: Most of the time I play on WSOP.com because it's the only site where I feel comfortable playing the highest stakes against essentially the same opponents I face live.
The field is composed almost exclusively of local players, which is great. Also, I have a bit of an edge over them, which is important.
However, on NJ/NV fusion days, I often see Chinese players jumping into the fray, and they are not really pleased to see us!
nd bonus casinoThese sessions can be both challenging and profitable.
FLS: How would you describe the average level of play?
CMD: Not as bad as many seem to think, but way worse than before Black Friday. Even though most of these players love poker, they don't necessarily spend as much time studying the game as their foreign counterparts did.
Also, there are just so many resources available for aspiring US poker players. Moreover, a large majority of them play on different states’ regulated websites during the night, which is not ideal.
FLS: And live poker?
CMD: At last summer’s WSOP I had the impression the field got stronger every single event. However, there are still many ways to make money there, believe me.
You just need to accept to move up in stakes. A friend of mine played the $1,500 event this year and final tabled it …blind vs blind, of course he had to give a lot of money away to his opponent but guess what ? He went home with more than $120k in his pockets ...and he could pay his buy-in for the whole tournament series !
Mario Ho
Fabrice Sommavila: You divide your time between Asia, Europe and the US. How would you compare the quality of players in the USA to those in Macao and Las Vegas?
Mario Ho: I think the Vegas games used to be easier than Macao but after Black Friday the level of play has improved significantly.
States (Besides MA) Where You Can Use your DraftKings Casino BonusThere are lots of talented players from all over the world living in Vegas now and they dominate the games.
FLS: Where do you play the most and why?
MH: I play online on NJ/NV (WSOP/888) and also go to play live in Vegas and Atlantic City from time to time.
I prefer playing live in the US because the games are still relatively soft even though the locals have improved a lot.
"Despite the improvements, Americans still seem to rely heavily on luck and they get lucky an awful lot."
They also have way way way bigger margins and comps which is nice. I play a lot of PLO and the average American player is known to love PLO.
Best Florida Poker Rooms to Visit (2023 Update)FLS: Have you noticed any particular playing habits among American players?
MH: Despite the improvements, Americans still seem to rely heavily on luck and they get lucky an awfully lot.
This alone makes it very difficult to make money, but yeah, if you can block out that, beat the skilled players and manage your bottom line you can do well here.
FLS: Some say that the American players are better prepared for casino side cheating (hole X-rays, CVS, etc...) How would you evaluate the danger level?
MH: Honestly I don't really think about that stuff. If someone is really determined to cheat they will figure out a way. There are many ways to protect yourself but most of them involve wearing a vest all the time.
I choose to focus on the things I can control and ignore the things I cannot.
FLS: Would you advise a pro player to go to the USA to crush the games?
poker websites njMH: Absolutely. The US market is growing again and it's still one of the few places in the world where you can win significant sums of money playing poker.
If you're a well rounded player who is adaptable and open minded then I think you should definitely consider playing in America.
Travis Rice
Fabrice Sommavila: You play regularly in the USA. How would you assess the current state of the game?
Travis Rice: The games in the USA are quite tough these days. After Black Friday a lot of international players moved there to take advantage of the games and help with rakeback.
A lot of those players decided to stay and the local players have improved greatly from playing against such strong competition.
FLS: Where do you play the most and why?
TR: I play mostly online on NJ/NV (WSOP/888) and occasionally go to play in Vegas and Atlantic City.
Casinos Within an Hour of Hartford, CT – Best CT CasinosI prefer playing online because the games are juicier and there's a bigger selection of games to choose from.
FLS: And live poker?
TR: The live games in AC are decent enough, but usually avoid the AC games unless its extremely short handed. The Vegas games can be decent as well but are usually even tougher than online.
"The Vegas games can be decent as well but are usually even tougher than online."
FLS: Some say that the American players are better prepared for casino side cheating (hole X-rays, CVS, etc...) How would you evaluate the danger level?
TR: I wouldn't say the danger is any greater than anytime you play live. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and trust your gut.
Live Casino Game Shows with Explanation - From Bingo to Mega BallI've been in situations where I thought something fishy may have gone on, but you can't ever really know. The best thing you can do is concentrate on playing your absolute best poker and concern yourself with making good decisions rather than everything else.
FLS: Would you advise a pro player to go to the USA to crush the games?
TR: Absolutely. The US market is growing again and it's still one of the few places in the world where you can win significant sums of money playing poker.
If you're a well rounded player who is adaptable and open minded then I think you should definitely consider playing in America.
Julian Thew
Fabrice Sommavila: You’ve played a lot online in the US. How do you rate the current state of the game?
Julian Thew: Before Black Friday, the US market was the most lucrative for professional poker players.
Many of us flocked there to take advantage of the soft fields and generous rakeback offers. There was an arms race between the operators to sign the best players, which meant that the elite pros were looking at rakeback of up to 75%.
FLS: Where do you play the most and why?
JT: Currently I only play on WSOP.com. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, Bovada unfortunately does not offer much volume with just six tables per game.
Secondly, although there are surely some very good Sharps on WSOP.com, they are clearly banned, which means you are not sitting opposite a professional poker player, but an amateur gambler.
FLS: How would you describe the average level of play?
Best Free Poker Sites ❞ Real Money Not Necessary in 2023!JT: In sharp contrast to WSOP.com, PokerStars appears to have unrestricted fields and possibly allows its best players to play on .com and .nj.
However, the fields on other sites are clearly not as strong as they once were.
I don’t think the locals have got worse, but they have certainly got better at identifying professionals and banning them. As a result the games on .com are tougher than they once were before Black Friday.
Ways to Get Free Money Online | Boom Time Casino BlogFLS: Live poker in the US?
JT: The story is similar in live poker. Many of the best players in the world relocated to the US following Black Friday, so the fields at the bigger events such as the WSOP, SCOOP and WPT should remain scary until their knowledge drops off or they return home.
In the shorter term we may see some benefit from the , although I don’t expect any operators to challenge ’s stranglehold on the market.
