Hachem & Negreanu on the Future of Poker, PokerStars’ Fight Against Cancer

The Death of Poker Debate

Despite the Aussie Millions rumbling on inside Melbourne’s Crown Casino, much of the talk from the event has centred on Joe Hachem’s recent comments. After being asked about his thoughts on the current state of the game, Joe offered a simple reply: “Poker is dying“.

Referring to his discontent with recent WSOP champions not representing the game well enough (specifically Jamie Gold and Jerry Yang), Joe explained that many recreational players aren’t as entertained as they once were.

Noting how the stoic demeanour of younger players is causing the game to be less enjoyable for everyone, Joe stated that if things don’t change then the game will simply be full of pros.

After hearing about Joe recent comments, Daniel Negreanu was keen to offer his matter on the subject and called for a simple solution to the problem: “make poker fun for everyone“.

For the most part Daniel was sympathetic to Joe’s opinions; however he did take an opposing stance to the assumption that WSOP winners have an obligation to the game. Indeed, in Daniel’s view, WSOP World Champion’s don’t have an obligation to support or promote poker to the masses.

Another point Daniel raised was the lack of entertaining commentary in the poker world. Stating that the “glory days” of real “characters” winning titles have gone, but that we can still make the game more appealing to recreational players by having more commentators like Joe Stapleton who aren’t afraid to inject some colour and humour into their broadcasts.

The Rational Group’s Supportive Side

The company behind the world’s two largest poker sites, PokerStars and Full Tilt, has joined the race to find a cure for cancer.

According to a recent press release by Cancer Research UK, the Rational Group recently invested in a revolutionary mobile game called Play to Cure: Genes in Space.

The app has been designed to help researchers compile and compute masses of data but in an entertaining way. Indeed, as more people play the game more numbers can be crunched and it’s hoped that instead of new discoveries taking years to happen, this game will uncover things in a matter of months.

Commenting on the mobile game, Professor Carlos Caldas said: “Play to Cure: Genes in Space will help us find ways to diagnose and treat cancer more precisely – sooner.”

Contained within the article was an official thank you message for the Rational Group who inject a substantial amount of cash into the project.