Poker on Twitch is booming, hitting record viewer numbers throughout 2020.

Poker players have also found Twitch to be extremely useful for live streaming their sessions. Professionals can now broadcast their sessions via this service. Many amateurs tune in to watch pro players in hopes of improving their own games. You can see how a grinder handles certain situations through Twitch, whether they’re 3-betting or folding. Several players have risen to the forefront in the Twitch Poker community, with consistent and entertaining broadcasts. Some are up and comers, but a surprising amount of established professionals.

In fact, during the Spring Championship of Online Poker back in May, the reigning king of Twitch Poker Lex Veldhuis dominated the Twitch directory to become the no.1 stream on the entire platform.

If you’ve ever played a poker session whilst watching one of your favourite streamers on the side, chances are the idea of streaming yourself has crossed your mind.

There’s nothing stopping you. In fact, in the cases of Lex and his fellow PokerStars Ambassador Ben “Spraggy” Spragg, it was one of the best decisions they made.

Lex has now built a brand new studio in his new home, with every aspect custom-designed for him to stream. Who knows? Maybe one day you could do the same, but everyone has to start somewhere.

So what essential things do you need to start streaming poker on Twitch?

Let’s get into it, with Lex and Spraggy’s help.

STRONG INTERNET

Don’t fall at the very first hurdle.

If you’re putting in the effort and all the hours you can muster, make sure your internet connection is able to work just as hard for you.

“The most important “piece of equipment” you can have is a good internet connection,” says Spraggy. “When I first started streaming, I had less than 1mb upload and the stream was either super low quality, or it would cut out and buffer a lot.

“Strong and stable internet is the primary issue as a stream which cuts out or stutters all the time is the main turn off for viewers.”

A MICROPHONE

Lex recently revealed his custom-built Twitch studio

The way you build an audience and community is by communicating with them.

This is especially true in poker compared with other popular games on Twitch. Viewers want to know why you’re doing what you’re doing, and how you’re feeling when the results arrive.

It’s really the only way they can truly go on a journey with you.

“It really doesn’t matter about the quality to begin with,” says Spraggy. “You just need a way to communicate and start connecting with people. I started with an old gaming headset I had lying around, and used the flip down mic.”

As you progress and you stream gets better, eventually the time will come to part with some cash for a better quality mic. But you needn’t break the bank.

“I think you can get a good microphone for €60-€100 euro,” says Lex. “Basically, you should eventually get a microphone that isn’t built into a webcam or something.”

A CAMERA

Speaking of webcams, viewers want to be able to see you in action. You don’t have to be Steven Spielberg. Just point the thing and shoot.

As Spraggy explains, the quality doesn’t have to be great to begin with.

“A quality webcam is important but not 100% necessary,” says Spraggy. “I started with a super cheap webcam that came free with an old laptop or something.

“I think a good cam is necessary in order to grow, but if you’re uncomfortable at the start you can definitely find your feet without investing a lot of money. You can build on that at a later time.”

OVERLAYS AND ALERTS

No, I’m not talking about the free money added to a tournament prize pool when the guarantee isn’t beaten.

Twitch Overlays are the graphics, animations or tools that you use to display your stream. They sit over your actual game/video content when you’re broadcasting live.

“I think you need to have some sort of basic overlay,” says Veldhuis. “It makes your stream look clean and nice because, and it’s the first thing that catches the eye. It’s something you can build off of too. So make sure your graphics fit you.”

The same goes for alerts, according to Veldhuis. A Twitch alert is a sound or graphic which pops up on the stream when, for example, you get a new follower or you receive a donation.

“I know it can be hard to set up good alerts, but it just lets people see the effort that you’re putting in,” says Veldhuis.

A SCHEDULE

If you watch a streamer regularly enough, they will eventually form part of your daily routine. Many people fall asleep to streams every night, and they can do so because the streamer is actually streaming when they say they will.

If you can get a schedule out there and be consistent, viewers are more likely to keep coming back.

“Yeah, one of the most important things is to make a schedule and stick to it,” says Veldhuis. “A lot of people don’t understand how important the first 10 viewers you get are. If those 10 viewers keep returning to your stream, they will already put you above half of the Twitch Poker directory.

“If you lose five of those viewers, then you plummet down to the bottom. So treat all of your first viewers like gold because they might tell somebody in a different channel about your stream and help spread the word.”

Ben “Spraggy” Spragg

THE PASSION AND DRIVE

If you’re still reading this article, chances are you’re pretty keen on starting to stream poker. You’d have probably started even without this friendly nudge.

So what are you waiting for?

“My main advice is always to just get started,” says Spraggy. “Don’t worry about your audio being perfect, your webcam being perfect, or your graphics and overlay being perfect.”

The only way you’ll know if streaming is for you is by doing it. Allow yourself the time to see if Twitch is really something you wish to pursue.

“Don’t invest lots of money in getting started and then realise it’s not something you enjoy doing,” adds Spraggy.

Before I let him go back to his awesome new home studio, I wondered if Lex felt any pieces of technology or equipment were overrated.

Lex has built an amazing Twitch community over the years

“Hmmm, let’s see,” ponders Veldhuis. “I actually think a lot of lighting stuff is a little bit overrated. People worry their stream isn’t bright enough or something, y’know? But you don’t need to have a professional studio immediately. Instead, try tweaking your lamp setup and make sure that you’re in a reasonable position with the light from outside. That sort of thing.”

I was also curious if he had any regrets from his epic ascent on Twitch.

“One thing I really regret is that I didn’t record all of my streams early on,” he says. “If you record them you can look back on those early streams and evaluate yourself and your poker play. It’s really fun to have that, and I really messed up in not doing it.

“So yeah, record every single one of your streams!”

Check out Lex Veldhuis and Spraggy on Twitch.

Streaming live poker is the new norm in the internet age when entertainment is accessible anywhere. If you haven’t watched Twitch poker streams yet, you are missing out on tons of poker tournaments to both participate in and rake in huge amounts of cash from.

It’s always wise to grab whatever comes free, even for live poker events. In this article, we investigate where to watch poker tournaments for free. We list the best poker tournament channels currently on twitch below:

Poker Tournaments on Twitch

1. Twitch Triton Poker

• Twitch Channel: /tritonpoker
• Twitch Followers: 47,675 followers

In this channel, tons of poker tournaments are available. Consequently, you can stream them on Twitch and enjoy hours of poker fun. Short Deck Cash Game Episode 1 is one of the best tournaments you’ll find. The buy-in for this was $2,500, and Paula Phua and Qiang Wang netted $727,000 from the tournament.

In the same vein, PokerGo, with a €1 million buy-in Triton Million only, is also free to stream on Twitch. It’s known to be the highest stakes game ever streamed. Featuring some big names like Tom Dwan, Jason Koon, among others, this tournament is a must-watch.

The list of the tournaments continues to Triton Poker Super High Roller. This is the biggest Buy-In Tournament ever. Badziakouski vs. Jason Koon €500k Cash Game Pot is an event never to miss too. Carefully check how they play hands by applying commentary to their poker action.

Also, look out for Triton London 2019 28k Short Deck champion, David Benefield. He proves that you can win poker tournaments when you apply the right strategy.

2. Twitch WSOP Poker

• Twitch Channel:/wsop
• Twitch Followers: 17,714 followers

World Series of Poker alias WSOP is a channel for poker stream focused on US players. It’s mostly available where poker is legalized: New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware + Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

WSOP started partnering with ESPN and PokerGo for daily live streaming of the Main Event. Live poker tournaments such as Poker Masters, US Poker Open, and Super High Roller Bowl Series are available. Streaming activities include high Stakes Poker Cash Games & Tournaments, Player Interviews, and Poker Documentaries.

WSOP list of tournaments also includes binge-watching high stakes poker. A minimum buy-in of $100,000 immerses you into professional poker players’ action. Watch Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Bary Greenstein, and Antonio Esfandiari do their thing.

Poker after dark is a tournament that features Tom Dwan, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, and Phil Ivey. These pro players compete against celebrities such as Jeniffer Tilly, Paul Pierce, Don Cheadle, and Julie Yorn. You can watch these tournament events on official WSOP website.

3. PartyPoker

• Twitch Channel:/partypokertv
• Twitch Followers: 55,707 followers

PartyPoker tournaments are also available to watch for free on Twitch. For instance, the PartyPoker Millions is streamed on Twitch to give maximum entertainment alongside priceless poker skills. In December 2017, the tournament was run for the second year. This particular tournament was rewarding as PartyPoker guaranteed a prize pool of $20 million. This was the biggest prize in history. Evidently, it was well articulated as it yielded a whopping $21,385,000 in a short while.

You can also find co-branded PartyPoker brands like WPT Montreal. This one needed a buy-in of CAD 3,300 and a hefty prize pool of CA$3,327,000.

Poker Watch Live Streams On Twitch Overlays

Other PartyPoker tournaments are Super High Roller paying out thousands of dollars when you win. For instance, Anatoly Filatov won the PartyPoker High Roller for $19.8k. The giveaways for the tournaments are worth a look in your free time. Furthermore, you can grab all the PartyPoker live tournaments on Twitch stream.

4. World Poker Tour

• Twitch Channel:/worldpokertour
• Twitch Followers: 29,666 followers

Another top-notch channel to watch live streams of poker from the best players is the World Poker Tour. There are always tournaments to hop on and watch at any time of day or night. The WPT Family Twitch Live Stream– is a perfect example of such a tournament. You get to watch Vince, Lynn, Tony, and Matt as they play each poker hand. You have the opportunity to learn from any commentary they make about the game. You don’t have to compete against them all the time, watch their moves, and playtime on Twitch for free.

A second tournament here is the $10,000 Diamond Challenge. This applies to all Diamond players, whereby each day, 10 qualifier seats are awarded. There are 250 qualifiers at the end, and a whopping $10,000 tournament will be won at the end of November. This will grant $2,500 to the first place winner.

Poker Watch Live Streams On Twitch Streams

5. Twitch Poker Night TV

• Twitch Channel:/pokernighttv
• Twitch Followers: 42,357 followers

PokerNightTV delivers quality live streams which present poker as nothing but fun. Granting $200,000 to the winner of take-all No Limit Hold’em is among the channel’s best tournaments. The buy-in for the tournament is $50,000 for each player, and the winner takes home a total of $200,000. The competitors for this tournament include Phil Hellmuth- @phil_hellmuth, Doug Polk- @DougPolkPoker, Daniel Cates, and Frank Kassela- @fkassela.

One of the best tournaments you can find in PokerNightTV is the Apex legends. A perfect example of such a tournament was valued at $500k and took place in Poland. Its entire unfolding is available on Twitch, and you can watch it for free.

Keep up to date with Poker Night TV on their twitter handle @PokerNightTv.

6. Poker Stars

• Twitch Channel:/pokerstars
• Twitch Followers: 260,584 followers

The streaming activities available in Poker Stars include NLHE, PLO, live, online, tournaments, cash, and TV events. There are also live streams of EPL and Global Poker League, Spring Championship of online poker, EPT online, and Spin & Go Max. Find all these tournaments on their Twitch channel /pokerstars, and stream them live as much as you wish.

Bryant Paris Poker won PokerStars BIG $109 for $11.7k. Bryant tried his best until he could win this tournament. Funny enough, he was playing while holding his 18-month-old son, but he couldn’t relent. Guess what? When the son slept, he continued pressing on with the tournament. And that’s how he eventually won.

Currently, Bryant will be featured on the Battle of Malta high roller, yet another superb tournament. The poker champ has something we can all learn from, that is, smart skills and resilience. You can watch these poker tournament events on pokerstars.

Conclusion

The best poker live streams on Twitch aren’t hard to find. As outlined above, you can see that they are a click away. You don’t have to worry about where to get coverage of the championships, as this article lists the channels. Remember that these channels are free to watch; thus, you can grab as many tournaments as you wish.

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