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Poker: FRESH OFFERINGS KEEP SITES AHEAD(Sunday Mercury Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)ONLINE poker rooms understand that, to attract new players and to keep existing punters coming back, they must tempt them with fresh and original offers. But it's noticeable how few poker rooms actually update their player offerings as often as they should. Those that do are continually trying to gain an edge, to trump each other with better offers, which is great news for poker players as well as for innovative poker rooms themselves. They're the ones that will hang around when others start falling by the wayside. Since the start of the year, I've been assembling masses of information on the world's leading poker websites. The company for which I've been doing this plans to publish the data next year but, while I've been compiling my information, it has struck me how tardy some sites can be in introducing new products and just how sharp others are. Several of the world's most popular sites are streets ahead of their competitors precisely because they appreciate the need to entice new and existing players. Of course, they must first demonstrate their credibility and financial standing, thus comforting players who know they'll get paid when they win. It is also important for players to know that a sufficient number of opponents are likely to be logged on and willing to play. Here, the stats show why Party Poker and Poker Stars are so far ahead of the game. Poker can attract 14,900 ring-game players and up to 57,000 others involved in tournament play. Poker Stars' figures are equally impressive (11,000 and 55,000 respectively), but there is a colossal gap between these two and the rest. Ultimate Bet attracts the third-highest levels of poker traffic - a very respectable 5,500 to its ring games and 12,000 to tournaments - but the top two retain their positions because of aggressive marketing and fresh, relevant offerings. Last year, for example, Party Poker introduced a "side bet" feature which allows players to bet on a host of combinations. The company has also introduced its "Monthly Million" and also has a "$500,000 weekly" played every Sunday, while Poker Stars promotes itself as the world's largest tournament site, recruiting the last three world poker champions as evidence of the fact. At the other end of the scale, Poker Stars introduced micro-limit tables with stakes as low as one cent' it doesn't even take a rake from these tables. I expect the quirky poker outlet will always exist but, just like the high street, we can expect online poker to be dominated by fewer and fewer big names as the sector consolidates over the next few years. Question is: will that be good news for players? |