Poker Writer
Tournament pro Jessica Vierling says there is no “quantifiable reason” to believe Jonathan Tamayo’s recent comments that poker is aging/dying and that it could become “like horse racing.”
In a recent interview with the Table 1 Podcast, Tamayo reviewed the health of poker following the 2026 World Series of Poker and bemoaned the aging player pool.
Vierling spoke with PokerScout and explained why she fundamentally disagrees with the 2024 WSOP main event champ.
Is Poker’s Player Pool Drying Up?
Tamayo said that the average age of poker players is rising and that the player pool is “being drained” by low buy-ins with reentries. The reentries, he said, hide some of the issues. In his mind, poker could become like horse racing in that there is a big contraction and it only becomes relevant in its small circles.
But Vierling, who has won two WSOP Circuit rings and has more than $1.9 million in live tournament earnings, told PokerScout that she sees the recent drop in main event numbers owing to factors outside of poker itself, such as U.S. foreign policies or the economy.
I play a mix of online and live. I do disagree with the player pool drying up. I mean, look at the main event numbers. They have been steadily increasing over the years outside of Covid and, like I said in my X comment, the years where [Donald] Trump was or now is in power. It might be a coincidence, but those are also the years where the economy and tourism is tanking.
She also said that there is a growing number of tournaments in the U.S. and abroad, especially in Asia. She also noted that she has seen the online numbers steadily increase.
If you filter out that effect you see more and more ‘pop up’ WSOP Circuit stops in different cities, and especially poker in Asia is exploding. Even new online poker websites are taking off. I actually don’t think there is any quantifiable reason to believe the interest in poker is decreasing.
And indeed, the newest season of the WSOP Circuit in 2026 has seen stops in several new locations, such as Caesars Virginia, Texas Card House, The Reserve Poker Club in Toledo, and Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale.
Internationally, several poker stops around the world have seen an increase in numbers, like WSOP Europe this year and the Asian Poker Tour.
‘Blaming Losses on Rake and Other Reasons is a Lazy Excuse’
Vierling also disagreed with the posted notion — not Tamayo’s — that it is so difficult to be a winning player. She posted on X saying it is not that difficult to gain an edge on the field while acknowledging that it is more difficult than it used to be.
She also pointed to other sports where the standard of play has increased over the years. Poker is no different, and players have to be ready to adapt to stay profitable. But she told PokerScout that it is definitely doable:
Blaming losses on rake and other made-up reasons like ‘dry player pools’ is a lazy excuse for not being a good player.
Vierling’s best finish at the 2026 WSOP was a sixth-place finish in a $3,000 event for more than $100,000.
Minimum Personality Requirements, Not Minimum Study Requirements, for Winning Poker
When asked how much study one needs to be a good player in today’s poker world, Vierling took another approach and said it is not necessarily about how much a player “has to” study. A good player should have the mindset that they “get to” study and learn more about the game. Thinking of it in terms of obligation already puts a player behind the curve.
She explained her personal process:
I don’t think there is a baseline for it. I don’t have any regular study sessions, but I end up studying every day. I look up hands constantly and then change parameters like node locking my opponent or different stack sizes to see how slight changes in variables affect my decisions. It’s a CONSTANT curiosity and drive to become better that fuels progress. To be honest, I don’t think anyone can get better if they feel like they have to force themselves to study and also no one can get better if they think grinding alone will do it.
Vierling, also known as LilithPoker, said that certain personality traits are perfect for making a great poker player. You don’t have to be a genius, but of course that’s a benefit:
I believe that innate personality traits make the difference, e.g., ambition, curiosity, humble confidence, or at least willingness to scrutinize ourselves, passion for poker, some OCD, nerdiness, fear of failure, tenacity, self-awareness, grit when we do fail or shit hits the fan.
And she admitted that some of those traits may not necessarily be the most positive traits to have in general, but they are ones that happen to make up a good poker player.
Not all of those qualities are ‘positive,’ but any combination of those at least create a person who will never settle for where they’re at and therefore have a competitive advantage in poker or any other area in life. I do think that self-care and balance are important performance criteria, too, though.
Photo credit: Miguel Cortes / WSOP
