Matt Savage shares the same optimism.
“During the summer in Las Vegas, many Japanese players have made the trip. And we’re having Chinese players, Taiwanese players, and players from India. It’s exciting to see that, and in the next five years, I think Asian players could become the #1 players in the world.”
He also believes Asia’s presence on the global stage will only continue to grow.
The numbers really show it. Every year, the number of players coming from Asia keeps rising. I think this year there were hundreds of Japanese players at the World Series of Poker. It’s not just the players, it’s also the bloggers and influencers like Masato Yokosawa, who are doing a fantastic job of spreading the word and generating excitement about poker.
As organizers packed up and looked ahead to the next edition, one message rang clear –
Asia is no longer finding its place in the global poker scene, it’s helping define it.