On Tuesday, July 22, the first ever $1 billion play money chip pot was raked in by a player on Full Tilt Poker.
The 10-figure “for fun” payday occurred at a six max table in a 6-Card Omaha game.
Although Rational Group poker sites Full Tilt and PokerStars award 1,000 play chip reloads on demand without any charge, the two sites also allow players to purchase the play chips using real money.
Cash purchase packages on Full Tilt begin at 200,000 chips for $1.99, with 100 million chips being the largest option currently available for a price of $199.99.
Based on these shop prices Full Tilt player 1shini1 earned the equivalent of approximately $2,000 real US dollars when he showed down his winning hand of a King-high Flush for 1,006,260,000 in play money.
Online Poker and Social Gaming Marketing
The social gaming aspect of online poker is seen by some in the industry as a method for bringing in more casual players who may have an interest in the game but are intimidated by real money purchases.
An example of this marketing strategy can be witnessed via an ongoing Clash of Clans Freeroll on Americas Cardroom crossover promotion.
The inaugural freeroll event on the Winning Poker Network’s flagship site attracted 792 entrants, with the Top 5 receiving Clash of Clans 2,500 Gem packages (a real money value of $19.99). Nine more crossover freerolls are scheduled on Americas Cardroom through August.10.
