- Screen names are now hidden during the registration process across all SNG types, including heads up tables.
- The change could have a substantial impact on the registration process, as it removes all table selection skills, preventing professional players from judging the profitability of games.
A new software update that rolled out across skins on the US-facing Merge Gaming this week introduced anonymous registration for all sit & go tournaments.
Screen names are now hidden during the registration process across all SNG types, including heads up tables. Only when a tournament fills and players are seated are screen names revealed.
The change could have a substantial impact on the registration process as it removes all table selection skills, preventing professional players from judging the profitability of games. In particular, heads up lobbies may be significantly impacted.
The idea of anonymizing just the registration process of tournaments is a new idea, although online poker rooms have been experimenting with anonymous poker to varying degrees.
At the extreme, Bodog, a Merge Gaming competitor with its US-facing Bovada skin, removed all screen names from the lobby.
Other poker rooms have flirted with the idea, with optional anonymous tables on many networks, particularly heads up lobbies, and regular screen name changes permitted at some poker rooms.
