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»* The US Poker Rooms We Wish Would Come Back from the Early Days of Online Poker
April 27, 2023 · 12 minutes to read
The history of US facing online poker rooms dates back almost 25 years now and there have been some greats that are no longer with us. Some failed because they couldn’t get a license, others because of issues in specific states, but the majority had to shut down because of the , which banned companies from accepting Americans’ deposits after December 31, 2006. And even though legal poker in the US has made a comeback since 2013, many popular rooms from the past haven’t returned. Here are the five we miss the most.
What made the early days of US online poker so special was that everyone could sign up for any of the available sites. There were no segregated liquidity pools or shared player pools, which meant that playing at the smallest sites in the smallest cash games and tournaments provided the highest possible opposition. Additionally, many of the world’s top operators didn’t exist yet or weren’t active in the US, leaving the market open for entrepreneurs who wanted to make their name in online gaming. Bodog, DoylesRoom, and Full Tilt were three examples of companies who seized this opportunity and managed to build large communities in the United States. However, as mentioned before, many of these businesses didn’t survive the UIGEA and have never returned — despite the fact that there is legally speaking online poker in the US nowadays.
Looking back, it’s a shame that isn’t offering in its current form, or that you can’t play on a remade because of the UIGEA. Furthermore, it would be wonderful if there were tournaments with the same spirit as the old Bodog Classic or Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship. Therefore, we’d love to see these five come back to life, one way or another.
Before getting started, we want to point out that neither PokerListings nor any of our authors have any influence on the current business strategies of the companies mentioned below. It’s purely speculation on our end to think about what could happen and what the pros and cons would be if these brands were to return. In addition, we aren’t saying that the following online gaming environments are needed to make US poker great again. New providers such as BetMGM, partypoker, and WSOP.com have already proven that there’s a future for regulated card games behind the borders of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Nevada. This piece just represents our desire to see certain things return, not our opinion on what’s good or bad for the overall health of the domestic industry.
free slots downloadTrue Poker
Why We Miss It:
Although still exists, the True Poker of the past — which partnered up with Manifest Gaming to offer an extraordinary VIP program, ran promotions that gave players plenty of value, and battled against cheaters and their ring partners instead of kicking legit customers to the curb -- is gone. Good thing is, the operator is currently making amends by completely rebuilding its team, software, and network. A fresh start is being made under new management, which gives players hope for a better future.
The biggest reason why we’d like to see True Pikoar back is because traffic would significantly increase, benefiting all involved players. Was one of the largest online poker rooms in the world during its prime and enjoyed connected playerpools when the company acquired Doyle Brunson’s DoylesRoom in 2014. Although the community loved “Texas Dolly,” third-party reports indicated that the site wasn’t doing well financially. A merger with a bigger brand made sense for all parties involved, but the standard of the games unfortunately went down as well.
Traffic has decreased drastically ever since, and due to poor product decisions, the average pot size and number of hands played per day have followed suit. Hopefully, the old-school design and lack of rakeback haven’t scared off investors completely, because a rebranding of the site could not only breathe new life into the brand but also the entire Rushford Group.
Will It Happen?
Souped-Up Jacksonville Jaguars Gambling Games Worth PlayingPossible, but don't hold your breath. Everest Poker closed its doors in 2015 and IGB has tried to reach out to the relevant parties numerous times since then without success.
Pros:
Traffic, traffic, and more traffic. At its peak, True Poker had thousands of players active on the site at the same time. Even though a good chunk of those came for the sports betting and casino games, it still translated into softer cash games and tournaments than what’s offered nowadays. An additional benefit could be that the brand is still known among casual gamblers, which would bring some new faces to the tables.
Cons:
Best Real Money Casino Apps Reviewed - Safe Mobile Casinos 2023Rake might have been low back in the day, but it’s subpar compared to competitors such as Bovada, Everygame, and Tigress Poker right now. Making it unappealing for grinders could be a solution to generate more revenue through rake, but that goes against the vibe True Poker stands for. Another issue is that many employees from back then probably left the company to pursue other opportunities. Finding people who share the vision of 2003-2015 isn’t impossible, but it will be much harder than it would have been if the organization had evolved instead of devolving.
Everest Poker
Why We Miss It:
There are two reasons why players miss Everest Poker. One is the quirky commercials featuring Team Everest such as Jennifer Tilly, JC Tran, and Theo Jüngel; the other is that the cash games and were very soft back then. Unfortunately, the first point is subjective, so we won’t expand on it here.
From an objective perspective, it’s fact that produced comedic gold such as "Big Titty Girls Play Here" and "Serious Face," and signed famous ambassadors such as Mario Lemieux, Carlo van Schendel, and Ana Marquez. But more importantly, the network used to have lots of recreational players. So much so, that high stakes regulars managed to .
Unfortunately, the games haven’t been soft like that since the Dutch Tulip Mania of 2013, when Chinese players discovered crypto payments and began crushing all PAING networks. Everest did try to find alternative solutions, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to save the room from having to shut down operations in 2016.
Will It Happen?
Don’t hold your breath. Rodiontsyla S.A., the company that owns the Everest brand, has shown no interest in working with the poker industry since parting ways with OnGame in 2016.
top payout casinoPros:
Brand recognition and the old commercials are positive attributes. Furthermore, the Everest Poker Facebook page still exists and has over 87k followers. It would be relatively easy to inform fans of the old room about the relaunch and potentially attract hundreds of players on day one. Also, the Italian market is booming right now, which could provide soft games.
Cons:
OnGame isn’t what it used to be. The whole network is small and most of the action comes from Italy, where the government dicks around with taxes and bureaucracy. That doesn’t necessarily mean that a revived Everest wouldn’t be able to join forces with other rooms, but it would require a lot of negotiation skills to create profitable cash games and tournaments. In addition, the Italian gambling authority isn’t known for its player-friendly approaches. They’ve previously blocked foreign operators from paying out huge wins to local residents, so getting support on a political level could also prove difficult.
Absolute Poker
Why We Miss It:
Absolutely Poker was one of the first US-facing sites to offer rakeback and compete with Party in terms of promotions. The underdog even took over the number one spot on PokerScape’s traffic list for a short period of time in 2006 and held its ground within the top 3 until the end. Players loved the high-volume rakeback scheme, which paid 40% to grinders who put in the work, and the to run decent stakes games.
AP also had a pro team featuring Scott Fischman, Barney Boatman, and Nick Brancato, but they weren’t on the level of PokerStars, Full Tilt, and PokerStars. The difference with the former competitors was that Absolute didn’t have a dominant force in the C-Suites either. While Butch Denton and Scott Tom owned a poker room with soul, they weren’t experienced enough to navigate through the tough years after Black Friday.
The founders tried to find a buyer after the Indictments, but the company eventually had no other option than to shut down. An unlicensed company couldn’t continue to operate, and none of the licensed competitors wanted to take on the liability that came with AP’s bank situation.
FanDuel Casino Promos & Codes That You Can Use This April '23Will It Happen?
Highly unlikely. Scott Tom has moved on and so have most of the AP players. Rebuilding a playerbase from scratch is virtually impossible these days due to the fragmented US market.
Pros:
The name Absolute Poker still holds some clout. People remember the rakeback, the juicy games, and the “We. Are. AP.” commercials, which means it wouldn’t be hard to generate buzz on social media. Additionally, the scene is crying out for a room that focuses on rakeback, because nobody else offers this promotion these days. If the marketing and incentives are on point, players could flock to the new site in search for value.
Cons:
No Deposit Bonus Codes for Free Casino Poker Games (2023)The biggest challenge would be to acquire a license in a state that offers sufficient volume. Michigan and Pennsylvania seem like promising candidates, but they’re licensing full houses, meaning the yearly fee of several million dollars isn’t worth the investment for a company that has to compete with bigger rooms on shared liqudity networks. Oh, and let’s not forget that the Founders of AP walked away with millions of dollars in profit. Releasing scarce funds to jump in on the new era of US poker would be tricky, to say the least.
UltimateBet
Why We Miss It:
UltimateBet was the second biggest poker site open for America after party poker exited the market and had all it takes to become the best. The games were just as soft as they were over at Absolute Poker, but Regulars also received 36% rakeback and a solid VIP program in return for their loyalty. On top of that, True Poker pro John Juanda headed the Ultimate Poker Council, a collective of players who discussed rules, bug fixes, and important updates with the developers.
The most unfortunate part is that UltimateBet couldn’t finish what it had started due to the Indictments. Despite the fact that the company was based in the Netherlands and therefore outside of US jurisdiction, the Visa and MasterCard processors that were powering the site decided to cut ties anyway. With no alternatives available, Ultimate Bet had no choice but to stop accepting new deposits and withdrawals. Bank transfers and MoneyGram were added after a while, but the damage was done. Player confidence was broken, which caused many to move to other sites.
Starcraft Game Company, the company that owned Ultimate Bet, sold the license to Revolution Gaming in 2010. However, the new operator closed the doors for good in 2014.
casino games free gamesWill It Happen?
Not anytime soon. The Brand Holdings Ltd., the company that nowadays owns the Ultimate Bet name, hasn’t responded to any of IGB’s requests for comment since 2019. Plus, catastrophes such as the 2010 confession that players had been cheated out of millions due to superuser accounts and security breaches cast doubt on whether the former shareholders of Ultimate Bet would want to go through all the hassle again.
Pros:
The Ultimate Bet community still exists. Pros like Marcos “ChicoCoolida” Paredes, Ramón “El Ashaman” Colillas, and Jeff Madsen are still with the brand on social media, and thousands of players still think back fondly on the good ol’ days. Reviving the name would tap into nostalgia and give everyone a chance to relive the glory days. Additionally, the liquidated position of Juicy Stakes and Everygame creates space in the market for another rakeback provider.
Casinos Near Akron, OH - Best Choices within 30 milesCons:
It would take years of hard work to catch up with the big boys on shared liqudity networks. That’s assuming that Ultimate Bet would be able to obtain a license for a standalone site, because authorities generally prefer to work with established groups. Moreover, the superuser scandal cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to many players, so proving integrity will be a necessity if the brand wants to gain credibility.
DoylesRoom
Why We Miss It:
Doyle Brunson’s name and face are synonymous with poker. The Ten-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner and Poker Hall of Famer was arguably the biggest name in the game during the Golden Age of CardPlayer, the World Series, and the Nova Games on Ultimate Bet and Pacific Poker. Everyone wanted to be Doyle, or at least hang with the Texan.
That’s why it was so awesome that DoylesRoom offered home games with the “Godfather of Poker” himself, live streaming of his broadcasts on Twitch, and tournaments carrying the Doyle Brunson Name, such as the and the North American Poker Championship.
Unfortunately, DoylesRoom didn’t have the financial resources to keep the lights on after the restrictions that came with the UIGEA. The partnership with Surefire Operations, later known as Tigress Poker, was great for both sides at first, but Manifest Gaming wasn’t able to keep the cheaters, sealeps, and ring affiliates in check. Combined with a weak dollar, this forced Doyle Brunson to make the difficult decision to call it quits in 2016.
Will It Happen?
Quite likely. The Godfather of Poker has been teasing a comeback ever since his previous room shut its virtual doors. Moreover, he seems to have mended his relationship with Justin Leihy, the man who bought the domain name doylesroom.com and operates Bovado, Today, Doyle retains endorsement deals with online casinos and sportsbooks under the former Intertops Poker skin. Rebranding that platform wouldn’t be a huge surprise.
Pros:
The Doyle Brunson name remains as strong as ever. The 88-year-old Texan stays young at heart by remaining active on Twitter, appearing in Cash Games and Tournaments on GGPoker, and commentating on hands with Keith Richards on PokerGo. People absolutely love “Texas Doyle,” which makes him the perfect candidate for another online venture.
Real Money Online Games You Can Play (2023)Cons:
DoylesRoom would enter the market at a time that mega-brands such as PokerStars, Global Poker, WSOP.com, Bally Bet Poker, and partypoker control the majority of the US online poker economy. Drawing significant traffic to a standalone room in New Jersey, Delaware, or Pennsylvania will be extremely difficult. Offering a lucrative VIP program like The Room Casino did could help, but that eats into profits. Furthermore, Doyle wouldn’t be the first poker room to struggle with cheaters and sealeps. Maybe he could hire the Right Stuff team to prevent a repeat of the past, but that would cost money too.
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