It's been almost two years since Merge Gaming unveiled their last major software update. In that time, Black Friday happened and now Merge Gaming is a top ten room and the largest to accept U.S. players. So it's safe to say there is significant buzz with the next release.

The next version of the popular software, version 6.0, will be unveiled next month. On Friday, Carbon Poker gave us all a preview of what of some of the new features the release will bring. On the list of improvements next month include new Filters, a New Search Field and Game List Expanders -- features that all make finding the games players seek much easier.

Version 6.0 Preview Screenshots

Check out the screenshots that Carbon Poker released with Friday's preview. Coming soon Carbon Poker will unveil even more details about the version 6.0 release. Stay tuned to PAS for additional details.

1) A new filter. Some players may notice the similarities to Full Tilt.



2) An upgraded advanced filter option comes with more options and a bet slider:



3) New Search Field. Search for an aspect of the game you are looking for: table names, player nicknames, player tags and even player names.



4) Game List expander features allows you to find basic table information and more ease of sitting down through the table preview:



5) Tournament game expansion is specifically design for tournaments:

Tags: 6.0, carbon poker, merge gaming, software

Categories

‎ Poker Gaming , ‎ Poker Industry News

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.

Tags: cake poker, lock poker, merge gaming, rakeback

Categories

‎ Poker Gaming , ‎ Poker Industry News , ‎ PAS News

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."

Tags: cake poker, lock poker, merge gaming

Categories

‎ Poker Industry News

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Black Friday. In this week's Weekly Industry Update we will take a look at this milestone along with news from Full Tilt Poker, Cake Poker and Merge Gaming.

Remembering Black Friday It's hard to believe it's been a full year since the events of Black Friday. There is little doubt affiliates and U.S. players will always remember where they were when they heard the news that the three largest poker sites had been effectively shut down to U.S. players in that single day. One year later, the industry is still shaken up and feeling the effects. PokerStars recovered quickly has went on to thrive. Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker are likely gone forever with players and affiliates unlikely to recover anything significant. Meanwhile Fulll Tilt Poker players and affilaites continue to hope the Full Tilt Poker sale goes through and players are reimbursed for their missing funds.

As expected, the one year anniversary has brought a flood of retrospectives. PokerNews posted a timeline of Black Friday and related events. PokerFuse conducted a great interview with the PPA's Patrick Fleming. CardPlayer also posted a piece on the victims of Black Friday.

Full Tilt Poker Update: As Full Tilt Poker appears to gear up for a relaunch, another class-action suit has been filed against Full Tilt Poker directors Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson. The lawsuit alleges that Lederer and Ferguson "exercised unlawful dominion and control over player funds in Full Tilt Poker accounts." The suit seeks a court order requiring Ferguson and Lederer to refund players as well as punitive damages.

Cake and Merge Gaming Ban new Utah Accounts: Late last month, Utah passed a law that banned online poker in the state. The governor of Utah has even lobbied against federal online poker legislation. As a result of recent actions by Utah, Cake Poker and Merge Gaming have decided to no longer accept new accounts from the state. Existing members are still allowed to play, however. The move comes a few weeks after Bovada decided to make the same decision. At the time of this writing, Utah players can only create accounts at BetOnline, Intertops, Winning Poker and YouWager.

PokerScout Traffic Update: Online poker traffic snapped an eight-week losing streak by gaining 2.8% last week according to PokerScout. Five out of the top 10 sites saw 5% upswings or more. Ipoker has overtaken Party Poker as the #2 network in the world.

Jottings: April's US Online Poker Processing Report Released...AGA is calling for UIGEA strengthening...UB and Absolute Poker nearing resolution with DOJ?...Unibet acquires Bet24...UK proposes criminal penalties for illegal operators...Quad Jacks interview with Joe Brennan Jr., says federal online poker "not in cards"...Italy regulated market slides...Card Player summary on the Black Friday guilty pleas...Spanish Association of Digital eGaming Reveals List of Members

Tags: black friday, cake poker, full tilt poker, merge gaming, poker traffic, utah

Categories

‎ Poker Industry News

Anybody remember Poker.com? The latest revenue-share offer to be added to PAS is from PDC Poker, a Merge Gaming skin whose history dates back to Poker.com. The PDC Poker affiliate program is operated by the fine folks at ChipSplit, who also handle Merge Gaming brands Aced and Carbon Poker, long time PAS partners. Publishers promoting the U.S. and European facing PDC Poker will receive revenue-share commissions of 40%. As you might expect, players will receive VIP rakeback up to 45% as well as access to all exclusive PAS promotions available that are also offered on Aced and Carbon Poker.

So why should I promote PDC Poker?

--Long-time brand operated by the ChipSplit affiliate program (also operates Carbon Poker and Aced)
--Licensed in the EU (Lotteries and Gaming Authority)
--VIP program yields up to 45% VIP Rakeback
--U.S. and European focused
--Merge Gaming is one of the fastest growing networks in online poker, now ranked 6th amongst .com rooms (smaller than Ongame but larger than Microgaming)

What do players receive who sign-up At PDC Poker through a PAS site?

--150% up to $750 sign-up bonus
--Free Poker Coaching through Deuces Cracked (PAS exclusive)
--$10,000 Monthly Rake Race (exclusive)
--$5,000 Freeroll (exclusive)
--Aggressive Monthly Promotions
--45% VIP Rakeback
--Frequently large Bad Beat Jackpots (two jackpots have hit $1 million in the last year)

How do I promote PDC Poker through PAS?

Existing PAS publishers can simply log-in to the PAS publisher admin and request the offer via the “Revenue-Share" tab. Revenue-share offers will be approved within 48-72 hours of the request. After the offer has been approved, you can have the offer appear on your rakeback site by enabling the offer in the "Rakeback Offers" tab.

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.

Why Should I Use PAS for my Rakeback and Revenue-Share offers?

PAS is not only a leader as a white label rakeback provider, but also great for CPA and revenue-share deals/services as well -- including the PDC Poker revenue-share offer. We strongly recommend all interested affiliates read over the benefits of using PAS for your CPA and revenue-share needs.

Where can I receive additional information?

We have a provided publishers a helpful FAQ for answers to some of the basic questions you may have. If you're looking for in-depth information about PDC Poker or the PDC Poker affiliate program, check out our PDC Poker affiliate program review. For additional questions about PAS or the PDC 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.

Tags: merge gaming, new offers, pdc poker, revenue-share

Categories

‎ PAS News