Poker Affiliate Solutions Discussion - Blogs http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/ The Poker Affiliate Solutions Discussion Forum - Discuss Poker Affiliate Rakeback, Revenue Share and CPA en Thu, 17 May 2012 08:43:37 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-forum/images/misc/rss.jpg Poker Affiliate Solutions Discussion - Blogs http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/ Party Poker Launches Championship Challenge http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/743-party-poker-launches-championship-challenge.html Wed, 16 May 2012 18:06:53 GMT http://www.raketracker.com/website_images/raketracker/championshipchallenge2.pngIf you are a Party Poker... If you are a Party Poker or WPT Poker affiliate, you have likely seen the benefits of increased interest in the poker room from promotions such as World Domination, Gladiator and Card Rush. With the introduction of the Championship Challenge on Monday, Party Poker is introducing it's latest cash-based promotion that is sure to be of interest and line the pockets of your valued members from now through the end of June.

About the $100,000 Championship Challenge

The promotion works much in the same way World Domination has in previous months, so if you are familiar with that promotion, you should have no problem understanding the Championship Challenge. Instead of cities and countries, players earn one "Football Player" for every 10 Party Points that are accumulated during the promotion period. Like World Domination, only a certain number of Football Player game pieces are awarded, so players are encouraged to get rolling on the promotion as soon as possible if they are interested (there are still 3.3 million left so not that much rush).

Players can earn up to 100 Football Player game pieces per day. The football players will feature prizes ranging from freeroll entries (a $1k freeroll entry for the Italy Striker, for example) to cash prizes up to $20 (the Poland Goalkeeper). Not all football players will yield instant prizes, but they will contribute to "Team" prizes. The prizes increase when completing Teams -- four players from a country. Earn the entire England team and receive $50; earn all the Poland players to receive a $1,200 prize. There are over a dozen additional countries that players can complete that will yield prizes ranging from $75 to $900.

The prizes don't stop there, however. Earn all four countries in a group to receive huge prizes ranging from $1,000 to $7,000, depending on the group. If a player manages to complete all four groups, Party Poker will award an incredible $100,000 cash prize.

Championship Challenge Freerolls

Many of the instant Football Player prizes that are awarded by Party Poker are freeroll entries ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. These freerolls will be held after the promotion from July 5th to July 8th.

Marketing the Party Poker Championship Challenge

If you have Party Poker members that have registered through your sites, make sure they are aware of this promotion through social media, news posts, front page features, mailers or any other high visibility marketing channels. The benefits of this promotion combined with VIP rakeback up to 50% can be unbeatable. New players can also take part in a 100% up to $500 sign-up bonus and of course, all players can currently enjoy the exclusive $20,000 Tournament Fever Series running through May. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/743-party-poker-launches-championship-challenge.html Cake Poker Network Rakeback Increasing to 36% http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/742-cake-poker-network-rakeback-increasing-36.html Tue, 15 May 2012 14:42:02 GMT http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/images/forum/cake-network.png Last week, Lock Poker and the Cake Poker Network announced... Last week, Lock Poker and the Cake Poker Network announced that Lock was in the process of acquiring the Cake Poker Network and rebranding as the Revolution Network. On that day they promised big changes. With today's announcement they have delivered. Effective June 1st, rakeback on the network will be increasing from 33% to 36%. All other rakeback terms will remain the same.

The new 36% dealt rate will apply to both existing and new players of all Cake Poker Network sites. The new rakeback rates will not eat into affiliate commissions. Margins will remain the same that they were under pre-June commissions.

The 36% rate puts the Cake Poker Network near the top of the rakeback range, especially for larger networks, surpassing the standard 27-35% rates of most other sites. On the Merge Gaming Network, Lock Poker offered 35% rakeback until June of 2011. Rakeback is not currently allowed on the Merge Gaming Network but is still available for players that signed up through a rakeback site prior to June of 2011.

As stated, only player rates will be changing. The Cake Poker Network will continue to be one of the few poker networks under the dealt rake calculation system, which many rakeback players prefer, especially those that play a tighter game. Payment dates will remain the same. At Cake Poker, for example, players are paid rakeback every Thursday for rake generated during the previous Wednesday through Tuesday period. There are no deductions to rakeback, although affiliates do receive deductions to their commissions for items such as bonuses.

Stay tuned to PAS for the latest information on Lock Poker's migration to the Cake Poker Network. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/742-cake-poker-network-rakeback-increasing-36.html Weekly Industry Update May 11th http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/740-weekly-industry-update-may-11th.html Sun, 13 May 2012 20:39:00 GMT Lock Poker is set to take over the Cake Poker Network while the Spanish regulated market is on track to launch June 1st. Check out these stories and... Lock Poker is set to take over the Cake Poker Network while the Spanish regulated market is on track to launch June 1st. Check out these stories and more in this week's edition of the Industry Update.

Lock Poker to Purchase Cake Poker Network: Lock Poker has confirmed that they have entered into an agreement to purchase the Cake Poker Network. In a press release from early in the week, they stated the network will be taken over on June 1st and renamed the Revolution Gaming Network. At this time it is not known how the change will affect affiliates of Cake Poker Network skins including Cake Poker. Indications are that individual rooms such as Cake Poker and Intertops Poker will continue to operate as independent rooms.

Spain to Launch June 1st: The highly anticipated launch of the Spanish market will commence on June 1st, with licenses published just before the kick-off. Over 40 applicants have believed to applied for licenses with rooms such as PokerStars, Party Poker, iPoker and Ongame thought to be on the invitation list. Any poker room that fails to receive a license will be required to leave the Spanish market. Operators will begin operating .es poker rooms that will be segregated from international players.

Full Tilt Poker/Poker Stars Deal Update: Two weeks after the collapse of the GBT deal and subsequent rumblings of a PokerStars deal with Full Tilt Poker, there is still no official word on progress. Pokerfuse delivered a fine analysis of the current state of the Full Tilt Poker/Poker Stars deal. They noted that a report from Wicked Chops provided some new bits of information. Wicked Chops states that the settlement deal has risen to $900 million, up from $750 million and that a conclusion of the deal is not imminent.

PokerScout Traffic Update: Online poker traffic skyrocket 8.5% over the last week helped by a great week from PokerStars, according to PokerScout. Six out of the top ten sites saw games for the week.

Jottings: New Jersey bill passes Assembly vote...Titan Poker parts ways with pros...Bwin.party signs California online poker deal...Barry Greenstein says Obama supports online poker, should announce...AGA releases "State of the States" report on casino entertainment...Ten big European brands on new Belgium Blacklist...Titan Poker halts new Spanish deposits...Unibet revenue up 36%...MGM prepares first internet casino game...Poker Pros Network Launches to U.S. players. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/740-weekly-industry-update-may-11th.html Titan Poker Halts New Depositors From Spain http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/741-titan-poker-halts-new-depositors-spain.html Fri, 11 May 2012 21:50:21 GMT *Update 5/14: Our Titan Poker rep has informed us that Titan Poker has made this move in hopes of obtaining a license in the Spanish market.* On... Update 5/14: Our Titan Poker rep has informed us that Titan Poker has made this move in hopes of obtaining a license in the Spanish market.

On Thursday morning PAS received word that Titan Poker will no longer accept new depositors from Spain ahead of the Spanish market opening up on June 1st. The move will affect Titan brands Titan Poker, Titan Casino and Titan Bet. Interestingly, another Europartners brand, Mansion Poker will apparently continue to accept new depositors from Spain.

Titan Poker is one of the most popular and recognizable poker rooms on the iPoker network, frequently referred to as the flagship brand of the network. Unlike fellow iPoker heavyweights William Hill, Genting and Betfred, Titan Poker has no brick and mortar presence. In addition to their popular .com room, Titan Poker also currently holds a French license, operating on the iPoker.fr network as Titan.fr.

According to Pokerfuse, 40 license operators are believed to have applied for licenses in Spain. Poker brands thought to be on the list include PokerStars, Party Poker and Ladbrokes. Other poker rooms such as Unibet, Bodog and Microgaming have already opted out of the new market, which is thought to rival the ring fenced markets of Italy and France.

We will update this post when we have more information on the specifics of Titan Poker's latest move. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/741-titan-poker-halts-new-depositors-spain.html Geo-Targeting Officially Launches on PAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/739-geo-targeting-officially-launches-pas.html Tue, 08 May 2012 22:50:54 GMT http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/images/forum/geo-targeting.pngPAS is pleased to announce that we have launched Geo-Targeting to PAS publisher... PAS is pleased to announce that we have launched Geo-Targeting to PAS publisher sites effective today at 21:00 GMT. You should have all received a newsletter today informing you of the changes but just in case, we thought we would also provide some information here as well.

About Geo-Targeting

Wikipedia defines Geo-Targeting in the following way: "Geo targeting in geomarketing and internet marketing is the method of determining the geolocation of a website visitor and delivering different content to that visitor based on his or her location."

As online poker affiliates, the benefits of Geo-Targeting are quiet clear, especially for those catering to players in a variety of regions. With regulation and online poker room rules, many of our offers are not available to players in every country. This means that when a user visits your site from a country that has few offers (for instance Italy or the United States) they have to wade through a bunch of offers/content that aren't really relevant to them.

U.S. players will no longer see Party Poker offers, European players will now have offers more relevant to them at the top of the list, and the ability to cater to specific regulated markets will be much easier.

In our trial run of the service on our retail rakeback brand, RakeTracker, we were able to improve optimization, while increasing conversions and profitability for targeted offers. The feature will be actively managed on an ongoing basis by PAS for FREE, using our industry knowledge and tried and tested methods. Even though the feature is not required for PAS publishers it is highly recommended given the obvious benefits.

Changes you will notice:

The first change you may notice is a new offer order on your affiliate websites. In addition, if your IP is from a country that doesn't have many offers, you may notice fewer poker rooms on your website. This is based on the new country lists we have created for each segment. Coming very soon we will be adding a drop-down box so you or your visitors can manually change what offers are displayed.

In the publisher admin, you will see a new section under the "Website Management" tab called "Geo-Targeted Offer Management" which will allow you to administer or monitor the Geo-Targeting feature.

How you can participate

The service was launched on 21:00 GMT Tuesday and for most publishers the change should be automatic with no additional action required. Some publisher sites are set up uniquely so the feature may not automatically be applicable to your site and will require further action on your part, if you wish to participate.

You can monitor/manage the Geo-Targeting feature by navigating to the "Geo-Targeted Offer Management" section in the publisher admin, as mentioned above.

You will also be able to see our offer order for each region segment as well as control whether you or PAS manages the service. If you choose not to use the service, you can control that here as well. If you decide to manage the service, make sure you are keeping up with industry happenings and actively optimize your lists.

Questions:

What if I don't want this service? Even though geo-targeting is highly recommended, you don't have to participate in the feature. Under "Website Management" in the publisher admin you can change who manages the service.

I can't see some of my offers. What is going on? Geo-targeting is at work and you are in a country which doesn't provide many poker room options. We will be launching a drop-down box in the near future so you can view the site live for any country. Selecting a country that's very friendly to online poker, such as the United Kingdom, will be the best option to view all offers.

I want to take part in this service but don't think it's working. Contact Seb.

Who do i contact if I have any questions or issues? Contact Seb with any questions or concerns. Feel free to share any comments you have in the forum.

Screen shots of Geo-Targeting Management:

Geo-Targeting administration in the Publisher admin:



List of country segments:



Control who manages Geo-Targeting:

]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/739-geo-targeting-officially-launches-pas.html Lock Poker Confirms Purchase of Cake Poker Network http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/738-lock-poker-confirms-purchase-cake-poker-network.html Mon, 07 May 2012 18:43:52 GMT http://www.raketracker.com/website_images/raketracker/cakepokerimage.pngOver the weekend, reports... Over the weekend, reports began to surface that Lock Poker was in the process of acquiring the Cake Poker Network. This morning Lock Poker released a press release confirming the news by announcing the network would be rebranded to Revolution Gaming on May 31st.

In a separate statement Cake Gaming confirmed they were in the process of selling "selected assets to Lock Poker. They went on to say "Cake is excited about the benefits this deal will offer all of its partners and players, including increased player rewards, a richer tournament schedule and new product features. "

The Cake Poker poker room is not a part of the deal and will continue to operate as a separate poker room. Lock Poker currently makes their home on the Merge Gaming Network and attracts poker pros such as Annette Obrestad and Chris Moorman.

We will be sure to keep PAS publishers on any developments and how the news affects them.

London, UK - May 7th, 2012 - Lock Poker Launches Revolution Gaming. The future of Online Poker.

As of June 1st a whole new world awaits the Lock Nation.

Lock is in the process of acquiring assets from Cake and will be re-branding the Cake Network to launch Revolution Gaming, driving technology, marketing, player rewards and implementing a richer tournament schedule. The LockPRO team will be at the foundation of these changes. They will come together and offer their recommendations on all levels, truly bringing the player into the boardroom.

To all existing Lock players this move will be seamless - it will take the form of a simple software update happening on May 31st. You will login to find your real money balance as well as everything else you know and love about Lock. Lock will also continue to manage their own stand-alone cashier so withdrawals will be as fast and easy as they are now. All players' current player VIP rewards will only increase and all rakeback players will be moved over to the increased percentage on Revolution. More details coming soon.

Get ready for the exciting new times ahead as we continue to drive the new era where the player reigns.

"We are very excited at the prospect of driving the product, marketing and overall vision of the network. It is a dream come true," says Jennifer Larson, CEO of Lock. "Merge was a great stepping stone for us but we have outgrown them. We really need to forge our own path to continued success. The only way to do this is to stay true to our of core philosophy: partnering with our players."
]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/738-lock-poker-confirms-purchase-cake-poker-network.html Weekly Industry Update May 6th http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/737-weekly-industry-update-may-6th.html Sun, 06 May 2012 19:30:32 GMT A relatively slow week in news saw no additional public statements from Full Tilt or PokerStars. Meanwhile in the non-US market, Unibet leaves Spain... A relatively slow week in news saw no additional public statements from Full Tilt or PokerStars. Meanwhile in the non-US market, Unibet leaves Spain and Schleswig-Holstein awards three new licenses. Check out these stories and more in the Weekly Industry Update.

Schleswing-Holstein Issues Three Licences : Ther German state of Schleswig-Holstein has awarded three online gambling license in preperation for their regulated market. Betfair, mybet and the state lottery were the three named. Additional licenses are expected to be issued in the coming weeks. Betfair commented on the approval by stating it was a significant positive, especially when some have been doubted the company's capacity to receive licenses outside the United Kingdom.

Unibet Pulls Out of Spain Regulated online poker is coming to Spain and with that comes poker sites pulling out of the market in hopes of staying within the rules and being considered for a future license. In February, various Microgaming sites and then Bodog decided to pull out of Spanish market. Now comes word that Unibet will be pulling out of Spain on May 14th and transferring players to PAF, which is on the Ongame Network. Players will have up to 30 months to withdraw their funds. Major poker sites such as PokerStars, Party Poker and iPoker have continued to service the Spanish market while being considered for the regulated market.

Full Tilt Poker/Poker Stars News Quiet All was quiet after a dramatic week that saw the GBT deal fall through and PokerStars take over as most likely suitor for Full Tilt Poker. One interesting piece to come out over the last week was an article from Diamond Flush Poker detailing how Groupe Bernard Tapie may have plans to follow through with a launch of an online poker site this year.

In a leaked email to key Pocket Kings staff explaining the the collapse of the Full Tilt Poker, Larent Tapie stated "I have decided to devote a significant portion of the funds that I was planning to use for the acquisition of the FTP assets instead to launch my own company, under the auspices of Game Cubed, the company I have created in Ireland." He continues by stating he would like to launch the new website in 6-7 months but only do so if all of the Pocket Kings staff accompany him.

PokerScout Traffic Update: Online poker traffic was down again last week 0.4%, according to PokerScout. Traffic has now been down in 11 out of the last 12 weeks. PokerStars was a notable gainer while IGT was the notable loser down 8%.

Jottings: Twoplustwo forum could come back online May 12th...iPoker revenue drops...PPA continues fight for poker...Antigua online gambling dispute wages on...Latest on the regulation of online poker in the US...A look at fast fold online poker options...PPA's Rich Muny discusses how tribes can benefit from federal legislation. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/737-weekly-industry-update-may-6th.html Sun Poker Revenue-Share Added to PAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/736-sun-poker-revenue-share-added-pas.html Fri, 04 May 2012 23:00:09 GMT Image: http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/images/reviews/logos/sun.png (http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/sun-poker-affiliate-program) ...

We are pleased to announce our latest Featured Advertiser to the PAS Network, Sun Poker, a site which originally got their start on the Cryptologic Network some 10 years ago. For the last 4 years, Sun has made their home on the iPoker, the European-focused network that is currently the second largest in the world. The main highlights of Sun Poker are their attention to customer service for players as well as affiliates and a lucrative VIP program to go with with the maximum allowed sign-up bonus on the network.

PAS publishers will receive commissions of 30% revenue-share when referring players to Sun Poker.

So why should I promote Sun Poker?

--Established in 2003
--iPoker Network room, second largest in the world
--Great reputation as very customer and affiliate friendly
--Licensed in the EU (Lotteries and Gaming Authority)
Contact us for details.
--European focused. Language support available in English, Italian, Portuguese, French, Russian, Spanish, German
--Over two dozen payment options in a variety of currencies (six currencies for most options)
--Starting revenue-share commissions of 30%

What do players receive who sign-up at Sun Poker through a PAS site?

--200% up to $2,000 sign-up bonus (or £/€2,000) -- Largest on iPoker
--VIP Program that pays unlimited cash bonus -- highest levels pays up to 50% cashback
--$1,000 New Depositor Freerolls
--Additional cash-based promotions such as Cash Point (currently running through September)

How do I promote Sun Poker through PAS?

Simply log in to the PAS publisher admin and request the Sun Poker offer from the Revenue-Share tab. Revenue-share requests are usually processed within 72 hours.

If you are not yet a PAS publisher and would like to start promoting this offer or any number of revenue-share, CPA or rakeback offers, sign-up today and get started in minutes.

Where can I receive additional information?

We have a provided publishers a helpful FAQ for answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. If you're looking for in-depth information about Sun Poker or the Sun Poker affiliate program, check out our Sun Poker affiliate program review. For additional questions about PAS or the Sun Poker revenue-share offer, feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help.

We are here to assist you with your online poker affiliate business. Please let us know what we can do for you. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/736-sun-poker-revenue-share-added-pas.html Willliam Hill Revenue-Share Offer Increases Yet Again to 45% http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/735-willliam-hill-revenue-share-offer-increases-yet-again-45.html Thu, 03 May 2012 22:21:40 GMT http://www.raketracker.com/website_images/raketracker/williamhill2.pngEarlier this week, we informed publishers that the PAS new revenue-share rate... Earlier this week, we informed publishers that the PAS new revenue-share rate at William Hill was increasing to 40%. We are increasing it yet again. For the next three months (May, June and July, William Hill) will be offering 45% revenue-share to PAS publishers- this is a full 10% above the next highest iPoker rates!

Aggressively promoting this offer will possibly extend the deal even further!

To help celebrate this offer, we have added 2x $100 freerolls at William Hill for you to promote to your players during May. They will run on May 14th at and May 28th at 19:00 GMT +1. While the freerolls are not large we anticipate the overlay to be quite substantial for players joining.



About William Hill:

William Hill is the one of the largest gambling companies in the world. Trading on the London Stock Exchange and headquartered in the United Kingdom, William Hill has cemented their position as one of the market leaders in Europe. Their online poker operations were launched in 2002.

Their poker games are offered on the iPoker Network, the 2nd largest network in the poker world, catering to players across Europe and many non-US markets. As a representation of their diverse appeal, William Hill offers language support to players in nearly three dozen languages including Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Russian. Players accounts are also available in a variety of major currencies. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/735-willliam-hill-revenue-share-offer-increases-yet-again-45.html May PAS Exclusive Promotion Roundup http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/734-may-pas-exclusive-promotion-roundup.html Wed, 02 May 2012 04:40:32 GMT The PAS Exclusive Promotions for the month of May have now been posted in the forum. Check out a full list of the $300,000 plus in exclusive... The PAS Exclusive Promotions for the month of May have now been posted in the forum. Check out a full list of the $300,000 plus in exclusive promotions here. Often when there are new promotions introduced, there can be some confusion so I wanted to explain some of the newer promotions in a bit more depth.

Party Poker Tournament Fever Series:

The Party Poker Tournament Fever Series is back for a third round. The first event will be held on May 8th, and like the previous Fever Series events, will be a mix of No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud. What's different this month is that two of the events will award WSOP entries to the top 4 finishers. Event #6 (May 15th) and Event #9 (May 20th) will award 1 $750 WSOP Satellite entry and 3 $80 WSOP Satellite Qualifiers.

All events will either be $500 freerolls or will add $500-$1,000 to the prize pool. A $8,000 Tournament Fever Series Leaderboard will award top Leaderboard Point earners over the 13 events.

A full schedule will be posted shortly on PAS.

Party Poker Tournament Fever Series Event #13

Event #13 is a new twist on the Tournament Fever Series and something you should begin promoting to your Party Poker players. The tournament is a $4,000 freeroll only open to the top 100 Party Point earners from May 1st to May 22nd. Of course, this presents an advantage for any player in the Tournament Fever Series leaderboard, so make sure your higher volume players are aware of this promotion.

Party Poker $10 Free Tournament Ticket

The first 200 first time depositors will receive $10 in tournament dollars to be used on any multi-table tournament on Party Poker. The buy-in Tournament Fever series events present a great opportunity for players to use these tickets.

Supplies are limited so make sure your players are aware of this ticket opportunity to encourage deposits.

Poker Heaven €5,000 Rake Race

After a month absence, the Poker Heaven €5,000 Rake Race returns. Paying cash prizes of
€20 to €800 to the top 50 rakers, this race has been relatively easy for players to place. Players must opt-in to the Player Zone to participate. This exclusive €5,000 Rake Race will compliment the €5,000 standard races running on Poker Heaven from May 7th-May 11th, May 14th-18th and May 21st-25th.

Cake Poker $60,000 Rake Race

For the last two months Cake Poker has offered a $100,000 standard points race. We're pleased to report that the $60,000 exclusive Rake Race is back for May. The leaderboard will be split into $15,000 weekly races running from May 1st-8th, May 8th-15th, May 15th-22nd and May 22nd-30th.

If you have any questions about any of these promotions, please don't hesitate to post them in our forum. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/734-may-pas-exclusive-promotion-roundup.html Revenue-Share Rate Change- William Hill Increasing to 40% http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/733-revenue-share-rate-change-william-hill-increasing-40.html Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:42:27 GMT http://www.raketracker.com/website_images/raketracker/williamhill2.pngGood news, William Hill publishers: Starting May 1st, William Hill will begin... Good news, William Hill publishers: Starting May 1st, William Hill will begin paying you revenue-share commissions of 40%, up from 35%. May will also see the debut of William Hill's on the PAS "Exclusive Advertiser" list, where we feature our top partners.

William Hill is of course a member of the iPoker, a network that is outperforming the market in 2012. They are currently 10% larger than Party Poker, according to PokerScout, and currently have a firm grasp on 2nd place in the online poker traffic rankings.

William Hill, with a base in the United Kingdom, is one of the largest bookmakers in Europe. Affiliates promoting William Hill can promote a 200% up to $2,000 sign-up bonus and a VIP scheme that features huge cash bonuses, freerolls up to $10,000 and huge point boosts.

To promote the William Hill revenue-share offer, log into the PAS publisher admin and request the William Hill offer from the Revenue-Share tab. Requests will be processed within 72 hours. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/733-revenue-share-rate-change-william-hill-increasing-40.html Weekly Industry Update April 29th http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/732-weekly-industry-update-april-29th.html Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:21:31 GMT The big news story of the week was the collapse of the Groupe Bernard Tapie-Full Tilt Poker deal, which coincided with rumors that PokerStars has... The big news story of the week was the collapse of the Groupe Bernard Tapie-Full Tilt Poker deal, which coincided with rumors that PokerStars has been in discussions to purchase their former rival. According to various outlets a deal is very close to being finalized and announced. Read about this story and more in this week's Industry Update.

Full Tilt Poker GBT Deal Falls Through; PokerStars Next in Line?: There were dramatic developements from the ongoing Full Tilt Poker sale discussions this week. On Tuesday long time suitor GBT announced that their deal to acquire Full Tilt Poker had fallen through. Luckily for those hoping for a deal, rumors began to leak earlier in the morning that PokerStars had agreed to purchase Full Tilt Poker for $750, which includes a settlement with the DOJ and repayment of all players.

Those reports turned out to be a bit premature as PokerStars would only comment that settlement discussions were in progress and confidential. Multiple outlets "confirmed" that a deal should be signed within days. Optimism for a deal is at an all time high but many will not be comforted until an official announcement is released.

DiamondFlush Poker released a great article on why the GBT deal fell through.

As a result of the GBT deal falling through, the Alderney License hearing was canceled.

Everest Poker Could Lead In Massachusetts : In last week's edition of the Weekly Industry Update, we informed you that Massachusetts was considering regulated online poker. This week Everest Poker released a press release stating that they were well positioned to be the first to offer online poker games if/when internet poker was brought to the state.

The press release noted that Everest Poker is the only European-facing poker room with an office in the state. According to CEO Tim Den, "The proposed bill rewards responsible European online poker operators and encourages local technology companies and, fortunately for us, Everest Poker is exactly both of those things. The bill presents Massachusetts with a great opportunity to be a pioneer in legalizing Internet poker in the U.S., and there’s no question that Everest Poker is better positioned than any other operator to take advantage of that opportunity."

PokerScout Traffic Update: Online poker traffic continued its spring slide, down for 10 out of the last 11 weeks and 2.7% last week alone, according to PokerScout. The iPoker Network has bucked the trend with a 2% increase since late March, while PokerStars has lost 10% of their traffic and Party Poker is down 16%.

Jottings: Twoplustwo Down, Passwords "Considered Compromised"...Only Poker Merges with Colt Poker...PKR Unveils Sneak Peek of new software...California tribes come out against bill unless amended...Las Vegas Sands CEO still against internet gambling...Spain regulated market likely delayed...Shuffle Master on a roll...States, Congress
Clash on Online Gambling ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/732-weekly-industry-update-april-29th.html Geo-Targeting Free Feature, Coming Soon to PAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/731-geo-targeting-free-feature-coming-soon-pas.html Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:33:44 GMT http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/images/forum/geo-targeting.png*Update 5/8- Geo-Targeting has launched. For full information on this feature,... Update 5/8- Geo-Targeting has launched. For full information on this feature, please see our updated post.

With regulation and ring fencing becoming more rampant in the online poker industry, it is increasingly necessarily to target your offers, content and site towards the specific users that are visiting your sites. As a user of your site, who wants to wade through dozens of offers that aren't relevant to them?

PAS's solution -- Geo-targeting!

PAS's Geo-targeting system recognizes the IP of your vistors and displays only the offers that are relevant to them. With geo-targeting implemented, your U.S. members will no longer see unnecessary European offers like Party Poker or Titan Poker. Your German players will have more relevant rooms at the top of their offer list. You can show your PartyPoker.fr offer just to French players!

Upon launch, geo-targeting will come in two basic forms: enabled or disabled offers and offer order -- both customized by country.

Each room will be customized and managed by PAS based on our hours of research and testing for the correct and most optimal placement.

This new feature will automatically be available for all new and existing default publishers. If you don’t use default content, instructions will be posted shortly on how you can take use the feature as well.

We're extremely excited for this new feature and its future possibilities. Stay tuned to PAS for more info coming soon! ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/731-geo-targeting-free-feature-coming-soon-pas.html Only Poker Merges with Colt Poker http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/730-only-poker-merges-colt-poker.html Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:24:52 GMT It looks as though another Cake Poker Network site has merged with Colt Poker, a US facing poker room that also makes their home on the Cake Poker... It looks as though another Cake Poker Network site has merged with Colt Poker, a US facing poker room that also makes their home on the Cake Poker Network. On Tuesday night, Only Poker players received an email message that Only Poker "is no longer offering their services." Account information, balances and player rewards were transferred over on April 25th at 08:00 GMT, according to the email. Players have received special instructions based on the status of their account.

Colt Poker has been a magnet lately for other Cake Poker skins unloading their players. Last month we reported that Power Poker had banned U.S. players and moved them to Colt Poker.

Only Poker was most famous for having former NBA "Bad Boy" Dennis Rodman as a representative. Despite aggressive marketing, the online poker site never seemed to be able to find their niche on the Cake Poker network. Onlypoker.com is currently not accessible.

According to the email, former Only Poker players signing up for Colt Poker are eligible for 110% up to $600 sign-up bonus, a 100% up to $500 casino bonus and the Loyalty Levels Rewards Program, all standard promotions available on the Cake Poker Network.

Update 4/27: Unbomber Poker has also been absorbed by Colt Poker. Players who go to UnabomberPoker.com are currently greeted with the same message Only Poker players received two days ago. Thanks to reader "notsocool" for the heads-up. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/730-only-poker-merges-colt-poker.html <![CDATA[Online Poker's Most Dramatic Events]]> http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/729-online-pokers-most-dramatic-events.html Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:31:28 GMT If you are like me, Tuesday's roller coaster ride of Full Tilt Poker developments had you glued to social media and your favorite poker forums, craving the latest bit of new information. The day's events reminded me of the countless eventful online poker days I have witnessed/experienced over my 10 years as an online poker industry observer. I thought I would share my most memorable dramatic online poker events of the last decade or so.

#1: Black Friday- April 15th, 2011:

The "Do you remember where you were?" moment of online poker's history. I was at my computer working at my remote office when I received a Skype message from a friend/colleague that simply read "F**K!". And, yeah, that pretty much summed how most U.S. players felt that day, I think. Only weeks earlier, deals were being announced with respectable major American companies (Wynn with PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker with Stations Casinos) that indicated that online poker was finally heading towards the legitimization that it deserved in the U.S.. But all hopes were dashed that fateful morning as we were greeted with that now familiar "SEIZED" image.

One year later, Black Friday has continued to live up to the day's dramatic events. According to PokerScout, Ninety percent of all U.S. players that were playing on April 14th, 2011 are still not playing online. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been either non accessible (Full Tilt Poker) or likely lost forever (Cereus). The effect on poker player's lives and bankrolls have been far reaching.

#2: The UIGEA Passage- September 30th, 2006:

The UIGEA originally passed the House of Representatives in the summer of 2006 by a wide margin of 317-93 when much of the online poker industry wasn't paying much attention, certainly not like today. I remember around this time the PPA was formed, but I also recall the industry feeling pretty good it would not get passed by the Senate that year. TradeSports (now Intrade) had the likelihood of UIGEA passing the Senate at 5%-15% for the entire week leading up the deadline of the fall session before Congress went home to campaign for the 2006 election. Then a spike in the prediction market came in the last day or two, as word started to leak that it had been attached to the Safe Port Act.

This was another event that I remember where I was, unfortunately. On my couch, sick to my stomach, clinging to false hope that somehow the reports were not true or that it would somehow get voted down. As I watched CSPAN that Friday night looking at the nearly empty Senate floor, I soon realized that it wasn't even getting a proper vote -- most of the members of Congress had already left for the session. I learned a lot about politics that night/week, and I think everyone learned who the Senate Majority leader was (Bill Frist).

As it turned out, UIGEA was a huge deal but not like everyone expected. Most companies that were publicly traded left the U.S. market before President Bush officially signed the bill two weeks later. The companies that stayed in the U.S. market -- including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker and a handful of others -- enjoyed their greatest success yet. For five years, online poker was as big as ever, leaving many to question the judgement of the sites that left. After many delays -- including a Barney Frank-led delay of six months -- the UIGEA went into full effect on June 1st, 2010.

#3- Full Tilt Poker License Suspension- June 29th, 2011:

Full Tilt Poker was hit hard by Black Friday, but they were a unique case. Cereus, the smallest network seized on Black Friday, experienced a dramatic and fast collapse with their large U.S. presence (over 75% loss in traffic after 3 weeks) while PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker were hanging in there with initial loses in traffic around 30%. PokerStars paid U.S. players within a few weeks, easing any concerns about liquidity. Full Tilt Poker, on the other hand, gradually began losing confidence as progress stalled for retrieval of U.S. player funds, slow cashouts from rest-of-the-world players and as news came out of Phil Ivey's suing Full Tilt Poker.

This all led up to the dramatic events of June 29th when the Alderney Gambling Control Commission suspended the licenses of Full Tilt Poker and immediately shut down the games. Rumors originally circulated that they could reopen in another jurisdiction, but those were quickly dashed as it became apparent Alderney had not taken these steps lightly and Full Tilt would be completely insolvent soon anyway. By this point, I remember being surprised by the gravity of the news (the second largest online poker room shut down so easily) but given the rumors and developments of the previous weeks, it was not a huge shock. Of course, its also been a huge scar on the industry.

For the last 10 months, U.S. and ROW players have had hundreds of millions of dollars in funds held up while Full Tilt Poker has sought a suitor for their company/brand/software. Their best hope now lies with the world's largest poker site, PokerStars, who has reportedly been in discussions with the DOJ to purchase Full Tilt Poker.

#4- Neteller Arrests- January 15th, 2007

In the months after the UIGEA a new normal was beginning to develop for U.S. players. PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker were well on their way to becoming the top 2 poker rooms (they already were #2 and #4 in traffic, respectively, before the UIGEA) and players realized they still had sufficient options to continue to enjoy the game they loved. Plus they still had Neteller, our beloved e-wallet (the PokerStars of ewallets). That all changed on January 15th of 2007, when G911 reported that Neteller founders had been arrested in the United States.

At the time, it felt as big as UIGEA because it seemed EVERYONE had a Neteller account that had to play on various poker rooms. If you felt UIGEA lacked teeth (note: Neteller investigations were well underway before UIGEA passed), this made it a bit more real for players. It was significant in that it was the first major news to come out since the initial UIGEA fallout. Players were frantically trading money with international members at around $0.90 on the dollar. We didn't really know what to expect with the fate of our funds. For those that waited, Neteller paid everyone their full balances some six months later.

Even though U.S. players enjoyed four more years of online poker after the Neteller arrests, payment processors -- especially ewallets -- would come under increased pressure. Epassporte would leave the U.S. market in April of 2008 and eWalletxpress would have funds seized in late 2010, resulting in their demise. Payment processing continues to be under extreme pressure for U.S. players. Some sites process in a few days while others are taking 3-4 months.


#5- GBT Sale Falls Through/PokerStars Rumored Buyer- April 24th, 2012

This news is obviously fresh, but I believe that based on Tuesday's events and hysteria, it will go down in history as one of online poker's most dramatic and eventful days, certainly if the deal comes to fruition (and there is no reason to believe it wont, besides the fact industry observers have seen so many episodes of ups and downs over the last 10 months). My reaction upon reading this news this morning, tweeted by a known insider, was an out loud "What The F**k?" followed by a few hours of F5ing 2+2 threads.

This news has all the makings of the classic online poker dramabombs higher on the list. Despite a laborious process that seemed analogous to the Energizer Bunny commercials, real progress seemed to be occurring over the last few weeks. An Alderney license hearing was slated for May 3rd making a pre-June launch appear more and more likely. The industry was then hit with a 180 degree turn -- PokerStars had purchased Full Tilt Poker and the GBT deal had fallen through. Of course, we know now the only official news of the day was that the GBT deal was no more. Unlike the other entries in this list, this event is quite positive (again, assuming the PokerStars deal goes through) leading to euphoria among many players.

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the PokerStars news was purposely leaked first to ease the fears of players hearing the GBT deal had fallen through. The tone of the day would have been much different, that is for sure.

Honorable Mention:


Chris Moneymaker Wins 2003 WSOP - May 23, 2003 : The date widely cited as the start of the huge poker boom of the 2000's. Of course, many wouldn't hear of Chris Moneymaker's win until weeks later when it was broadcast on ESPN. The win by a self-proclaimed amateur -- with THE perfect poker name -- would combine with the introduction of televised hole cards on the WPT broadcasts and heavy advertising by online poker rooms to set off the greatest poker boom the world would ever know. It was the quintessential perfect storm. Millions of players such as myself would begin to experience the incredible joy of playing an amazingly fun game where you could actually win money consistently by learning some basic skills. Our lives would never be the same again.

That entire year was simply nuts for anyone who was apart of it and probably deserves a spot higher on the list, especially because much of what happened afterwards was a result of online poker's popularity. This wasn't a single day of euphoria though; the whole damn year was crazy.

Harry Reid Bill 2010 - December 3rd, 2010: Five months before Black Friday, Harry Reid attempted to pass a U.S. federal bill through the lame duck Congress session. December 3rd is the day chatter about the bill hit a fever pitch and sustained for the next couple weeks until all the options for attachment had failed. The bill would have legalized online poker in the U.S. in opt-in states. Much to the dismay of many online poker players, the bill would have strengthened UIGEA (no more grey area for online poker) and include a 15 month blackout period where no poker could be offered legally. Because of the major negatives of the bill, opinions on the bill were very polarized. Given the events of Black Friday months later, almost all those against the bill at the time now realize that view was shortsighted.

AP/UB Cheating Scandals -- September 15th, 2007: It's difficult to pin the AP/UB cheating scandals down to a single day. But on September 17th, 2007 adanthar from the 2+2 forums was the first to post on the infamous T2s hand where Potripper called a massive reraise pot with Ten high. Countless dramabombs would develop over the coming days and weeks as more of the cheating was uncovered. In early 2008, it was uncovered that UB.com, another Cereus Network site, also had participated in insider cheating. The cheating scandals were picked up by maintstream media, including a feature on 60 minutes, a popular U.S. news magazine show.

House Passes UIGEA - July 11, 2006: Many people forget that before Bill Frist unceremoniously sneaked the UIGEA through the Senate in September of 2006, that the House passed a stand-alone version of the bill by a convincing 3-1 margin. This bill was actually a more harsh version than what ultimately passed the Senate, including an expanding of the Wire Act to include online poker and casinos. This is the turning point when players started to pay attention and realize our game may not be around forever if we don't do something about it. We were comforted with reports and insiders telling us it had little chance to pass the Senate...


Agree/disagree? What have been your most memorable dramatic online poker moments? We'd love to hear your stories and comments. ]]> GonzoPAS http://www.pokeraffiliatesolutions.com/poker-affiliate-blog/gonzopas/729-online-pokers-most-dramatic-events.html