Pokerati loves to indulge in some unscientific polling … and we have a new one up on the righthand sidebar if you haven’t already noticed. This time we are looking for “the next big thing.” When you think about it, if poker has been anything, it was the first unbridled, boom-market economy of the 21st century. That time has now passed for poker, so presumably something else will take its place.

But we’re not just looking for what will be big — I am pretty sure I was wrong when I declared darts anything close to the next poker — we’re also looking for new niches fueled by a profitable confluence of the internet, TV, hard technology, and live engagement. (Because when that happens, you can also expect a lot of laws and politics to come into play.) To this day, I don’t see why tournament fishing — particularly with the use of “hook cams” that allow you to watch fish contemplating taking the bait — hasn’t taken off. But that probably has more to do with the business behind it all than the thrilling nature of the sport itself.

Anyhow, would love to hear what you think … not just so we can mentally masturbate to the concept of a blog about whatever wins … but moreso because its always refreshing to remember what’s going on outside the poker world that isn’t war.

Played good poker last night here at Danang — good in the way that my friends thought I was playing crappy, even though “most” of the time I was not. So my overall results hinged on a single hand of Omaha … one where I’m not sure whether or not I did the right thing and just got unlucky, or if I woulda-coulda-shoulda played it differently and better.

OK, so it’s $.50/$.50 PLO. My starting cards are Q-Q-7-8 double-suited. There are about a million limpers pre-flop, I am one of them, and Adam in late position raises it to $4 … which about half of us call.

The flop: Q-J-10.

OK, so I’m pretty happy with my top set, but I realize my hand is hardly great. A-K already has me screwed — heck, so does K-9 — so really, I’d like the board to pair.

It checks around to Adam, and he bets like $10 or $12. Thankfully no one pops him for the pot … just a couple calls. So what do I do? Is this where I raise pot to either take it down now when I am likely ahead? Or is this where I raise pot — which is gonna cost me north of $50 — to find out where I am?

I decide to just call, to see what the turn brings. (There is also a flush draw out there.) Because really, while my hand is great, I’m not sure how great it is, and I am thinking I’d like to give the board a chance to pair as cheaply as possible.

“I think this hand is going to be a big part of our Omaha education,” I say.

“You’re probably right,” someone (Thum?) responds.

So the turn is a King. Eesh, not a great card for me … but at least it will be easier to get away from my set if necesary. We check all the way around.

More…

LAS VEGAS–Actually, I kinda like the name “Dartiste” — but that’s not really relevant right now. What is relevant is that darts is a great game, and while I don’t see it ever growing into “the next poker,” I do see it growing into something culturally special.

In fact, can’t believe I missed it, but just a few days ago at the Mandalay Bay was the PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic. PartyPoker … darts … Las Vegas … very interesting.

All the right elements (and mechanisms) seem to be in place — the websites, the TV coverage, the anybody-can-play factor … could a new steel-tip scoring system be the darts equivalent of a hole-card cam?