Merge Gaming skin RPM Poker closed its doors late last week, informing players without warning that the operation had shut down. RPM players attempting to log on to the site were greeted with a notice that the skin had been sold to a “third party” and was no longer operating.
The notice indicated that all player deposits were safe, and were instructed to contact Merge Gaming to have their balance transferred to a new skin. Those without another account were asked to create one with a “Merge preferred partner”—Carbon Poker, Sportsbook.com and Players Only—before emailing support.
Transfers have been fast, and many players have reported smooth transitions to new skins. Rakeback deals have also been reinstated on their new accounts, some players report.
There has been no official announcement with regards to the possible transfer of VIP points or tournament tickets, but if recent history is an indication, players should not expect these non-monetary items to be converted.
RPM is the latest in a growing number of skins that have halted operations on the Merge Network following the resignation of its CEO Anthony Taylor In September. Bluff Room and FeltStars both closed their doors in October prior to the announcement that Merge was eliminating all player-to-player transfers and moving many of its skins to the Jazette Cashier.
In November a group of Merge skins pulled out of the Poker Maximus III tournament series at the last minute. Skins that did not participate in the series included RPM, Hero Poker and Black Chip Poker. Black Chip later left Merge and moved its players to the Winning Poker Network.
Earlier this week, PDC Poker—a Merge skin owned by Carbon Poker—shuttered its doors and migrated its players to Aced Poker, also on the Merge Network and also owned by Carbon.
Some RPM players are not finding the move to another skin to be so easy. In May 2011, Merge stopped accepting new players from a number of US states and has added more states to the list as legal landscapes continue to change. However, players with accounts opened prior to the ban are considered to “grandfathered in” and are allowed to continue to play. It has not yet been determined if those players “grandfathered in” with an RPM account will be allowed to create a new account on another Merge skin.
