GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 24 - April 2013

“Segregation is awful news, and I was surprised this hasn’t gotten more discussion in the affiliate communities. Besides having the ability to multi-table and use poker tracking software, online poker seemed no different to live poker, personally. Now it feels like a completely different animal.” ~PokerAussie “We find ourselves collecting so much more data about our players, specifically win/loss info. Then aswe bring additional softer networks on, unfortunately we won’t be able to offer these rooms to our winning players as these small networks cannot sustain this action (of winning players always winning). “Some of the major networks are very pro sustaining equal ecology, and in fact demand that affiliates send a balanced amount of traffic between winners and losers. And with some, even affiliate commissions are now based on this overall ratio. To be clear, I don’t think this is a bad idea, but it certainly refines the way an affiliate should work, to bring more balanced traffic.” ~MuchosPoker Poker affiliates are on the front line of the industry and have a very unique insight into the poker ecology. The overall consensus among these poker affiliates is that HUDs and datamining have primarily been responsible for the issues we are now seeing within the poker ecology. It’s almost comical, however, when you look back at the growth of the online poker industry throughout the years. There was a time when poker sites encouraged players to multi-table and become winners. The more players played, regardless of winning or losing, the more rake that found its way into the operators’ coffers. Now these same players have matured into long-term winners. They are multi- tabling, using tools, and have gotten very good at extracting bankrolls from the fish. One affiliate we spoke with has proposed a very simple solution to the problem of HUDs and data mining in the poker ecology. Bob from 4kingpoker.com wrote a great article on his website proposing “Wait List Only Cash Games.” What the team at 4KingPoker has proposed is that online players would put their name on the list in the lobby for the stakes or games they want to play. Then players get seated at the discretion of the poker room in the next available seat and table. Players would not be able to determine or choose where they sit. This is virtually identical to how busy brick-and-mortar poker rooms operate. The article goes on to say that by taking the selection process completely out of the hands of the players, as is done in a live casino, all the controls that players have to preselect the players they will face are removed. And while poker sites will still have both fish and sharks playing, this would level the playing field and generally make for a better ratio of fish to sharks at all tables. Would a solution this simple actually work to repair the disintegrating poker ecology? Who knows? But it would certainly be a step in the right direction. What started out as winning players merely making player notes on individuals has become something much larger. The current pokerecologyhasevolvedintoatechnological feeding frenzy giving professional players a distinct and exponential advantage over recreational players. It is clear by the current actions many online poker operators are taking that the future of the poker ecology could be in jeopardy. And with a potentially new regulated market on the horizon in the U.S., there has never been a better time to solve these problems. While players and operators may not agree on the best solution to balance the poker ecology, one thing is certain: An unbalanced poker ecology is not in anyone’s best interest. The future of the poker ecology – what affiliates have to say “By taking the selection process completely out of the hands of the players, as is done in a live casino, all the controls that players have to preselect the players they will face are removed.” Jeremy Enke is the CEO of Poker Affiliate Listings. He has spent more than eight years in the poker affiliate market, with an overall mission of helping affiliate marketers reach their full potential and become more successful. 36