The Future of Poker: Convergence or Extinction?

With the rise of massive online tournaments and virtual rooms, some predict that live poker will become an expensive relic reserved for the elite. Others argue that the social experience, reading opponents in person, and the "glamour" of major events are irreplaceable.
Do you think online poker will end up completely cannibalizing live poker, or can both formats coexist and thrive as radically different but complementary experiences? 🤔

I think live poker will always exist, especially the big events. The game is completely different.

I actually think they are merging. Look at 'Hybrid' events where the early stages are online and the final table is live. That’s the future. Online makes the game accessible to the world, but the live final table keeps the 'prestige' alive.

I believe that both can coexist without any problem

Honestly, I don't see online ever killing live poker. And I say this as someone who plays almost exclusively online.
They're just two completely different games wearing the same name.
Online is faster, more convenient, more analytical. You can play hundreds of hands in the time it takes a live dealer to shuffle a deck three times. You can multi-table, track your stats, study your leaks. It's efficient. It's cold. It's almost like a sport.
Live poker is something else entirely. It's an experience. You're sitting across from a real human being, watching them breathe, watching them reach for their chips, watching their eyes when the flop hits. No algorithm captures that. No HUD tells you that the guy across the table just swallowed hard before going all-in.
I've said it before in this forum — online I'm essentially guessing based on betting patterns. Live, I'm reading a person. Those are fundamentally different skills.
And then there's the atmosphere. The felt, the chips, the sounds of a casino floor. A major live tournament has an energy that no online lobby can replicate. That feeling of sitting down at a final table with people watching — that's not a relic. That's human nature.
The elite argument doesn't hold up either. Yes, the wsop Main Event is $10,000. But live poker exists at every level — local casinos, home games, small buy-in tournaments. It's not going anywhere.
If anything, I think online poker feeds live poker. You learn the fundamentals online, build your bankroll, develop your game — and then one day you walk into a casino ready to test yourself for real.
That's exactly where I'm heading next. 😄

I think AI will destroy online poker.

I don’t think poker is going anywhere. It has gone through many changes over the years, but it always adapts. In my opinion, the future is more about convergence than extinction. As long as there are players who enjoy strategy and competition, poker will continue to evolve rather than disappear.

I think poker will live for a very long time, it all depends on the specific rooms and their further actions to improve or worsen the player's capabilities