Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — With social distancing rules in place, and casinos and other venues closed down, card sharks are turning to online poker in droves.
In fact, with 40 million poker players in the States left with nowhere to go — both card room tourney players and buddies playing at their friends’ houses — they’re going online.
The number of first-time poker players increased by 255% since the COVID-19 crisis began, according to the website Global Poker; online playing jumped some 43% overall in that time.
Poker journalist Nick Jones recently noted that an all-time record was set five years ago, when an average of 45,000 players virtually bellied up to the online tables at the same time — and that record is likely to be smashed in light of recent events.
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