Twitch Poker emerged as the online streaming platform gained popularity, bringing people together through gaming.
Was Twitch created solely for poker? Who is the top poker streamer? Today’s casino news highlights everything you need to know about Twitch Poker and the entertainment that awaits you.
Twitch Poker: A New Frontier in Interactive Gaming
Twitch Poker is a section of a social platform dedicated to the live streaming of the classic table game. Just as online casino real money players seek excitement and strategies, Twitch is primarily a video streaming platform for enthusiastic gamers. People come together to enjoy watching their favorite live games with players trying different strategies.
Twitch Poker offers a vast collection of live game streams, online communities, and numerous opportunities to learn the game. Most famous poker streamers have also moved to Twitch, except a few, like Mariano Poker, who still chooses to vlog on YouTube.
The History of Twitch Poker Streaming
The Twitch we know today started as a live casting platform in 2007. It was called Justin TV, a dream project of Justin Kan, Emmett Shear, Michael Seibel, and Kyle Vogt. Much like how our online casino guide section became a resource for enthusiasts, Justin TV allowed people to stream their natural lives on the go, creating a reality show-like experience with real casting. While business grew slowly because of the cost of streaming, it later picked up and became popular among gamers.
Gaming streams rapidly attracted more users, and Twitch surged in popularity in 2014 after a viral Pokémon video, eventually leading to its sale to Amazon for $970 million. This success led more players to sign up for accounts and provided opportunities to earn money through sponsorships, donations, subscribers, and in-platform currency ‘bits.’ Today, the platform has recorded over 240 million monthly active users, which is why Twitch Poker is so popular.
Twitch Poker: Breaking Ground
The first poker stream went live in 2013 when Jason Somerville took to the platform. His constant streaming of poker sessions, alongside other content such as casino games, led to the creation of a community called Run It Up, which already had a platform on YouTube but not live streaming.
His platform was a mix of fun-oriented poker live streaming and professional-level poker strategy implementation, which made Poker Twitch a haven for poker enthusiasts. Lex Veldhuis, a Dutch professional poker player, is the most-watched streamer.
Many leading online poker rooms have also created poker live streams on Twitch. These brands, often showcasing thrilling moments such as the all in poker bet, signed ambassadors who made numerous live streams, educating players and entertaining them with poker strategies, rules, and gameplay.
Getting Started
Two ways to enjoy Twitch Poker are watching others stream poker or making your video live. The former is the first and most exciting part of it. To get started, create a Twitch account, where you input your details, name, number, and password.
Next, you follow big poker streaming names and brands. You’ll find popular streamers like Lex Veldhuis, Daniel Negreanu, Brad Owen Poker player, and Kevin “K-Mart” Martin. Twitch allows you to participate actively by commenting and interacting with the live stream host and other players.
Streaming your poker show is the other method of enjoying Twitch Poker. Note, however, that this is an entirely different ball game requiring a lot. First, you need quality streaming gear for HD streaming and must also be a great poker player, whether you’re diving into it or exploring variants like Pai Gow Poker. It’s like running your show as the host, commentator, director, star player, etc. You must also be authentic, knowledgeable, interactive, and consistent to grow a fan base.
Playing Twitch Poker
Unfortunately, Twitch doesn’t provide an avenue for players to play poker. The best you can do is watch a streamer showcase their poker cash game or tournament for others to view. One exciting thing about it is that watching others play is just as entertaining as watching yourself.
Most live streams have a 5-minute delay before they reach viewers. This is to protect the integrity of the game, as it the delay prevents their cards from being exposed to viewers.
Final Thoughts
According to reports, Twitch Poker has streamed over 20.6 million hours this year. The average number of views is about 3,800, the highest this year being 56,802. At this rate, there’s no end to the increase of the classic game on the platform. Visit Vegas Aces Casino to play online poker real money live games online.
Stay tuned with fresh updates and enjoy community fun on social media.
