Poker in the News

PartyPoker is the online site we love to hate. It has the worst customer service and the tackiest software and graphics (eh.. maybe... Pacific Poker and Noble Poker are pretty bad too).

So why don't we leave and play somewhere else. It's called "player liquidity". The easiest way to describe it is to make an analogy to eBay--- there is never going to be a competitor in online auctions to eBay, because they've reached a "critical mass" and sellers and buyers will always get more and find more there.

Party Poker wasn't the only site we had to play at though. They had agreements with "skins"-- other companies that used the same platform and shared the same players. At a skin like Empire Poker, you could play against PartyPoker players AND get better support through their VIP and Royal Flush clubs.

On Saturday, that all changed. PartyPoker separated themselves from the skins. PartyGaming still provides the software to Empire Poker, Intertops Poker, Eurobet, and MultiPoker, but no longer shares the players.

This is resulting in a mass exodus from the skins back to PartyPoker (where the "player liquidity" is)---- a great business move for Party, but the death of the skins. When the London Stock Market opened on Monday, Empire Poker stock was a sure bet to short. It closed down over 30% for the day.