5 Positive Outcomes for Poker From Black Friday

On the bright side, though, it did bring about certain changes that have benefited poker as a whole.

No, really. It did.

Here are five positive outcomes for poker from Black Friday.

#5. Norm MacDonald is No Longer a Poker Commentator

With the recent cancellation of High Stakes Poker on GSN, the worst choice for a poker commentator in history (sorry Dave Foley) is out of a job.

Fans ran for the hills after only a short time listening to him on HSP and Black Friday put the final nail in the coffin.

The players on this season of HSP didn't help his cause, either.

#4. UB is Finally History

Superuser scandals, boycotts and hiring Prahlad Friedman couldn't even kill this cockroach of online poker until Black Friday hit.

After Black Friday, all sponsored pros and most of the staff were immediately axed and payouts for US players froze.

Soon afterwards, payouts outside of the US were also halted and have yet to re-start.

Blanca Games has made a feeble attempt to liquidate assets in an attempt to raise cash to pay players, or so they claim, but hopes are low.

RIP UB. You won't be missed.

#3. QuadJacks Radio

Love them or hate them, you have to admit that they made their mark with Black Friday.

Starting with the marathon program in the days following Black Friday and continuing with a nearly daily radio program, QuadJacks has become one of the go-to sources for poker information and entertainment for many.

Whether it's worth paying for though ...

#2. Online Stars Making Live Tournament Impact

Many diehard online players were forced to switch at least in part to live poker following Black Friday - or at least the ones who didn't leave the country were.

The result was that many of those players have begun to make a name for themselves on the live tournament circuit.

Tristan Wade, Randy "nanonoko" Lew, Chris Moorman ... all have seen major success in the live arena recently that they may not have if the games online were still as good or accessible.

Another example is Jared Hubbard, formerly the #1 in the world for online six-max SNG profit, who took down the Fall Poker Classic in Minnesota in October for over $70k.

#1. World Series of Poker Sets Records

Everyone, including PokerJunkie blogger Compncards, said that the WSOP would have a down year as a result of Black Friday.

A combination of factors, including some creative scheduling on the part of the WSOP, helped to not just boost numbers but also to set records in many events.

80,000 entrants from 105 countries and $205,540,933 in the prize pools says poker is maybe a bigger deal than ever.

If numbers were up even after Black Friday, just imagine what they'll be when online poker in the USA is legislated and regulated.