Today’s poker players have numerous poker forums dedicated to the game, to its players and fans. Many poker sites offer forums on which their players can discuss all things poker, and most poker coaching sites also provide forums to discuss hands and poker strategy. There are also quite a few alternate poker forum options on sites like Discord.
What is a poker forum, you might ask? A poker forum is simply an online platform – an internet message board of sorts – dedicated to poker discussions. A moderator or poster (person who posts on a forum) allows the creation of threads, each one dedicated to a different topic or subtopic, and participants can post comments, questions, answers, or memes as separate posts in each thread.
Before the first online poker site, Planet Poker, even launched for testing in 1997, there was a poker forum on the new technological phenomenon called the internet. Rec.Gambling.Poker, or RGP for short, was the place where hundreds of poker players from around the world gathered remotely to discuss poker. This was the source for many of Planet Poker’s first players as well.
Since that time, the expansion of technology and poker delivered many more poker forums, which have evolved over the past two decades.
Best Poker Forums for Players and Enthusiasts
A poker forum can be a tricky thing. Poker fans and poker players alike should explore the threads and posts in a forum before deciding on a place to post. Finding the right one can provide a positive space for sharing poker stories, asking questions, discovering online poker tips, and even obtaining professional poker tips from top pros.
There are three primary forums that have the most traffic and regular postings.
Two Plus Two Poker Forums
The most popular online poker forum is Two Plus Two. The 2+2 forums emerged as a part of the Two Plus Two Publishing website, which published numerous poker books. Players flocked to this forum from RGP, as Two Plus Two had moderators to keep the threads more organized.
Over time, Two Plus Two grew into the largest forum in the poker industry. Its “News, Views, & Gossip” section is filled with the latest information, as the threads give players and poker fans the opportunity to discuss said topics.
Further, though, most players have used Two Plus Two through the years for poker education. There are threads dedicated to online poker sites, coaches, books, study groups, staking, and other forms of gambling. One of the largest sections is “Poker Strategy,” in which players can obtain everything from game basics to professional poker tips and GTO (game theory optimal) play.
Reddit Poker
Reddit is a website that serves as a global forum covering nearly every topic imaginable. The site emerged in the mid to late 2000s but didn’t gain traction within the poker community until a few years later. Poker players and fans began to seek an alternate poker forum to 2+2 and found that they could create threads and sub-threads in Reddit, as the site catered to niche communities.
While not as organized and structured as other forums, Reddit can be downloaded as an app has attracted hundreds of thousands of people to its poker topics. Some online poker operators have created their own sections through which they release information and communicate with their players.
Discord Poker
The latest iteration of the online forum is Discord, which emerged within the last decade as a more technologically advanced operation. The app catered to gamers, and its servers offered options for video calls and messages and created more of a chat room feel than traditional forums. Poker found a place on Discord.
Discord groups can be private, and members of groups can oversee discussions and better organize threads. Verified accounts give channels more exclusivity and better facilitate the use of video and audio. Poker study groups, poker coaches, and site operators found Discord to be a more streamlined platform utilizing unique servers.
Other Online Poker Forums and Communities to Follow
Many online poker operators and coaching companies include a forum on their websites, but there are several open forums that have become communities for poker players who spend time online.
CardsChat is a poker news website that has cultivated a forum community. Membership is free, and there are more than 400,000 members who discuss everything from news to online poker tools and poker strategy.
PokerStrategy is also a free site that unsurprisingly focuses on poker strategy. Its forum sees daily conversation about everything from tournaments to staking. Rec.poker is similar but doesn’t break down discussion threads by category as much as by specific topics within the community, which is continuously growing.
Finally, there are other communities that have become sources for learning poker, like Twitch and YouTube. Many of the livestreams and games broadcast on these platforms spur discussions in the comment sections, providing everything from high-stakes cash game play to the best Twitch poker players putting their games on streaming display.
Play Online Poker at BetMGM
Every poker player finds her or his own way through the poker pages online, discovering the best places to meet like-minded players and discuss poker strategy. While you try to find the places you feel the most comfortable, play poker online at BetMGM and take those experiences into the top poker forums.
