When you will play poker you will see that out there is not about the best players in the world. Poker players cannot win good money if they are playing against other good players. In poker it is just like in real life: some are better and they succeed, others are weaker and they lose the battle with the difficulties of life. In poker it is about sharks and fish. Sharks are those really good players, very aggressive who play poker to win lots and lots of many, sharks are the experienced poker players. A fish is a weak poker player. Fish does not necessarily mean the player is wrong, only that he will call almost any bet before the flop. Experienced poker players love being at the table with the so-called fish just because they provide a “can” more than before the flop. Fish are usually the same name draws (ex. hands that have not yet done) and will help you earn money in average.
The poker ecosystem is almost stable, but sometimes the balance leans to one side or to another. So, in some poker rooms there are too many sharks and it is almost impossible for a beginner to stay alive, and at other poker rooms there are plenty of fish ready to be “eaten” by the sharks. And this happens because of the geography meaning that in some areas there are not so many poker games and the people who are playing poker are really good, and in other areas, like Vegas, are a lot of fish in order to keep the game good. But in online poker there are no geographical barriers. If there are a lot of fish at one poker room , than the sharks should swim over and devour them.
Another situation when the ecosystem is not in balance it is if a card room is owned by an online casino. For example ,some card rooms are owned by Ladbrokes, and others are owned by Coral Eurobet and the examples could go on. These poker rooms have a lot of cross-over traffic of sports book/casino players trying out poker. These kind of poker to become professionals players and they don’t play as well as people interested only in poker, so these rooms have an added stream of fish.
Advertising is another factor. Some internet card rooms, like Party Poker/Empire Poker, advertise much more than others. They have millions of ads on television and various magazines, so the casual players are more attracted to these places.
The strength of the competition at a poker room can also change over time. If a poker room suddenly becomes more popular, the games will probably become softer. In contrast, if a poker room is losing players, it is likely that the players that are leaving are the less-skilled players. Thus, only the sharks would remain.
If you plan to become an experienced poker player it is good to take into account the poker ecosystem concept, in order to be able to make a good game selection, and try to find soft games because they are as important as winning strong poker skills.
