- Whether through original reporting or analysis, surfacing stories from raw data, teasing out the key details from interviews, digging into software updates or keeping our noses to the ground in customer forums, PRO has had a banner year for original content.
- Hand picks of a few from almost 100 exclusive articles publish in 2018.
In 2018, Poker Industry PRO published almost 100 articles that we tagged as either “exclusive” or “First on PRO”—stories that you would have read about first from this site. Whether through original reporting or analysis, surfacing stories from raw data, teasing out the key details from interviews, digging into software updates or keeping our noses to the ground in customer forums, PRO has had a banner year for original content.
So whether it was reading about new games or product updates on PokerStars, 888 or partypoker, garnering the key insights from company financials from the likes of TSG and GVC, gettting the context with executive statements at 888, having an exclusive first look at new products like Run It Once or MPN’s Prima, or understanding regulatory impacts in countries from Russia or Sweden, then you will have read about it first on PRO.
Below are just a handful of our favorite exclusive stories from Poker Industry PRO in 2018.
Showtime and Spin & Goal: PokerStars Hints at New Game Novelties (April 2018)
Top line: “Not one but two new games are set to debut on PokerStars soon, according to the new graphic files updated in the online poker client last week.”
Key takeaways:
- Details on the two new titles have not been revealed.
- It seems likely that “Showtime” will be a new game variant with a twist on no limit hold’em—potentially where the player shows one or more hole cards.
- Spin & Goal appears to be a promotional take on Spin & Go with a World Cup tie-in.
With Shared Liquidity Imminent, partypoker Upgrades Spanish Platform (April 2018)
Top line: “Partypoker has finally upgraded the aging website and platform on its Spanish-facing online poker operation ahead of shared liquidity with France which is expected to come this week.”
Key takeaways:
- Partypoker’s Spanish offer has been left to languish, using dated software and branding that has been phased out in other markets over the course of the last five years.
- It now is up to date with the offer in France, a key step in creating a shared player pool.
- Partypoker stated earlier this month that Spanish-French shared liquidity would come this month.
Exclusive: Fusion Set to Be Another PokerStars Cash Game Innovation (May 2018)
Top line: “Over the last couple of months, PRO exclusively revealed three new game innovations from PokerStars ahead of their launch. One has debuted, a second will run soon, and the third is lined up to launch. But it appears the operator is already lining up yet another novelty format: PokerStars Fusion.”
Key takeaways:
- Based on the products name, one could surmise that it would be a blend with two different formats or games.
- Full Tilt used to offer Irish Poker, a fusion of Hold’em and Omaha.
- Split Hold’em will be withdrawn today; Showtime has yet to surface.
PokerStars Doubling Down on Twitch as a Promotional Vehicle (June 2018)
Top line: “Last month PokerStars unveiled a new Twitch section on its blog. Players can now “watch live streams from the PokerStars team, chat with them in real-time and find out more about them,” according to the site. The site also teases more “exciting new features” coming soon.”
Key takeaways:
- Last month PokerStars unveiled a new Twitch section on its blog.
- PokerStars is now looking to raise the stakes and is deepening its connection with the live-streaming site.
- All indications point to PokerStars integrating Twitch into its loyalty program.
Winamax Temporarily Suspends Expresso Accounts on Allegations of Botting (June 2018)
Top line: “French online poker market leader Winamax has temporarily suspended two player accounts on suspicion of using bots or automated tools at the Expresso lottery-style sit and go tables.”
Key takeaways:
- The decision came after an thread garnered significant attention on the forum of leading French poker community site, Club Poker.
- The two accounts have made approximately €700,000 in the Expresso games.
- The two accused have been asked to play a session live in their offices.
Partypoker Holds Strong in European Market Despite Stiff Competition (July 2018)
Top line: “It has been exactly a month since GVC’s partypoker launched its shared European online poker room making it only the second online operator to join player pools in France and Spain.”
Key takeaways:
- Partypoker is facing stiff competition from PokerStars and Winamax, soon to launch in the Spanish market.
- Operator has raised the guarantees of its upcoming Sunday major tournaments back to the original levels seen in the first week.
- GVC has indicated that it will remain committed to establishing a foothold in the European segregated markets.
PokerStars Unfold: Another New Cash Game Variant in the Making (July 2018)
Top line: “PokerStars is preparing yet another new online poker format, PRO can reveal. The new novelty variant will be called Unfold, as per the new image assets which were deployed to several clients last week. A design of the table with logo has been reconstructed by PRO.”
Key takeaways:
- The new novelty variant will be called Unfold, as per the new image assets which were deployed to several clients last week.
- The new game continues PokerStars’ strategy of introducing novelty games for real money for a limited period of time.
- The operator has yet to introduce Fusion, another PokerStars innovation in the pipeline which PRO discovered in May.
The Stars Group Reports Biggest Online Poker Half-Year On Record (August 2018)
Top line: “Global gaming giant The Stars Group reported rising revenue from its online poker vertical in Q2 2018, making the first half of the year its best in public history.”
Key takeaways:
- First half revenue for 2018 amounted to $463 million, growth of 9.7 year-over-year.
- “This vertical continues to recognize the benefits of, not only our focus on high value players and the stars rewards program, but also the shared liquidity pool in Southern Europe, where Portugal recently joined France and Spain.”
- The casino and sports division account for a 35% share of group’s international revenue, up from 29% a year ago.
PokerStars, Americas Cardroom Prepare to Launch Six Plus Hold’em (September 2018)
Top line: “Two online poker operators are preparing to launch Six Plus Hold’em, also known as Short Deck Hold’em, a poker variant that has seen a flurry of interest over the last couple of years both live and online.”
Key takeaways:
- PokerStars appears to be readying to launch 6+ Hold’em.
- US-facing offshore network Winning Poker Network is also set to launch the variant.
- Also known as Short Deck Poker, the game is played like Texas Hold’em but with a stripped deck and changes to hand rankings.
- New updates to Fusion suggests game is also still in the pipeline.
Run It Once Poker Shows Off Online Poker Platform in Extended Beta Test (September 2018)
Top line: “Just before 5pm BST on Thursday evening, Run It Once Poker opened for an invite-only, real money beta test.”
Key takeaways:
- For three hours, hundreds of selected players played NL10 and PLO10 in what was the first public-access look at the new poker product.
- The test was limited to only €0.05/€0.10 tables, though there was a player pool for both No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha; these are the only two games expected at launch.
- Overall, gameplay was smooth, and at its peak dozens of tables were running on the site.
888 Blasts Partypoker’s “Old School Tactics” in Battle to Revive Online Poker Vertical (October 2018)
Top line: “Online gaming giant 888 Holdings has partly blamed its weak performance in online poker on its competitors using “old-school tactics” to poach some of its players, according to statements from executives last week.”
Key takeaways:
- Partypoker is now ahead of 888 in cash game traffic and online poker tournaments.
- 888 says this is partly due to “old school” tactics of giving away big bonuses and “inflating tournament guarantees.”
888 Will Roll Out a Poker Product Overhaul This Year with “Poker 8” (October 2018)
Top line: “888 Holdings has announced that an all new poker client, dubbed Poker 8, will begin a phased rollout this year.”
Key takeaways:
- “We have worked with and taken feedback from our players and the new platform will improve the display of the tables, functionality in the lobby and enhance graphics.”
- Poker 8 will “provide an even more engaging and modern poker experience.”
- The last major update, Poker 6, was released pre-Black Friday.
- Since then, PokerStars, partypoker, Unibet and MPN have all overhauled their poker products.
New “Pik’em” Game Will Mark 888’s Return to Poker Product Innovation (October 2018)
Top line: “888 poker has stated that a new game, dubbed Pik’em Poker, will launch next month.”
Key takeaways:
- Few details surrounding the new game were revealed beyond its expected launch in October.
- The name suggests that 888 may introduce a variant where players pick which hole cards to keep.
- Such formats have been spread online before, including Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple and Irish Poker.
Feedback-First Development Fuels Next Major Update for MPN Prima (October 2018)
Top line: “MPN is set to roll out its biggest update yet to Prima, the company’s new online poker client. Practically all fixes and improvements have come from direct player feedback thanks to the company’s in-client feedback tool.”
Key takeaways:
- “We’re letting players drive the development of our client.”
- Perhaps the standout new feature is a new Stealth Mode. One of the most common complaints from customers was that the table looked too busy.
- One of the biggest changes was fixing a memory leak impacting Windows users, which the company thinks will result in a “massive improvement” to performance on that platform.
Russia’s Largest Bank Implements Ban on Offshore Gambling Transactions (November 2018)
Top line: “Russia’s plans to compel banks and payment processors to restrict offshore online gambling payment is finally working as state-owned Sberbank, the largest bank in Russia, has confirmed that it is prohibiting online transactions to blacklisted offshore gambling sites.”
Key takeaways:
- The law does not affect the local operators which are strictly controlled by the state.
- It is expected, in the near future, more banks will follow Sberbank.
PokerStars in Russia: Impact From Blocking “Marginal” as Company Sees Bright Future (November 2018)
Top line: “Online gaming giant The Stars Group has downplayed the recent increased efforts to block online gambling payment processing in Russia, calling the recent impact “marginal” and expects to “get back on track” with marketing soon.”
Key takeaways:
- Earlier this month, PRO reported how Russia’s largest bank had started to block transactions to unlicensed gambling sites.
- “It is true that in the past few weeks there was a step up of blocking in Russia that may have a short-impact, but … in the medium term, those impacts—we’re not going to see it any more.”
- “So all together, marginal impact in Q3, marginal impact in Q4, but expecting to go back on track very soon, potentially within the next few weeks.”
- Company plans to continue to hold events in Sochi and restart marketing in the country.
Partypoker Simplifies Cash Game Offering by Removing Full Ring and “Casual” Tables (November 2018)
Top line: “Earlier this month, partypoker made several changes to its global player base poker room in an effort to simplify cash game offering and improve cash game liquidity. According to player reports, the changes were made on November 1 without any prior notification.”
Key takeaways:
- Partypoker made several changes to its global player base poker room in an effort to simplify cash game offering and improve cash game liquidity.
- According to the operator, full ring tables were removed as they were not a “popular choice” among the players.
- Casual Cash Games were tables that could be played by players playing a single cash game table at a time.
888’s New “Strategic, Poker-Based” Game Goes Live for Real Money (December 2018)
Top line: “Pick’em8, a new game from 888 previously touted as a new, unique variant of online poker, has gone live for real money in the international online player pool. No press release, website update or social media post has announced the new game.”
Key takeaways:
- There is only one decision point in the game, providing a very thin layer of skill.
- The entire game is played in the lobby—there are no popups or additional screens.
- Rather than picking the best two-hand combo, it may be more profitable to select less common combinations so that when you win, you take a higher share of the prize pool.
PokerStars Launches Dedicated Client in Russia (December 2018)
Top line: “PokerStars has begun rolling out a special client for Russian players, dubbed “PokerStars Sochi,” PRO can reveal.”
Key takeaways:
- The new client is available to download on the domain PokerStarsInSochi.com, and PokerStars.RU reportedly redirects Russian visitors to this new domain.
- Beyond the new name and the Russian flag emblazoned across the lobby, the experience on PokerStars.RUSO, is seemingly identical to the previous user experience.
- A full complement of cash games and tournaments is available, though there is no casino.
- There has been increased scrutiny in the market this year as the government has sought to clamp down on unlicensed offshore online gambling.
At Eleventh Hour, 888 Holdings Receives Swedish Online Gaming License (December 2018)
Top line: “It what may be the final batch of licenses to be issued before the Christmas break, 888 Holdings has received its license from the Lotteriinspektionen to go live in the Swedish market on January 1, 2019.”
Key takeaways:
- 888 appears to be licensed for a full slate of gaming, including sports, casino and poker.
- It will come as a welcome relief that 888 Holdings can move forward with a market entry along with the competition on January 1, 2019.
- Seven online poker rooms and networks are now expected to have representation in the new market next year.
