Which Sites Are Likely To Make The Cut In The Upcoming Split Of The iPoker Network?
I brought you news that the iPoker Network will be splitting into two separate ‘Tiers’ in this post last month. Here I will fill in some of the missing information, which concerns how sites on each tier will be decided, and (importantly) which sites will make the top tier.
A quick recap first for those readers who might not be aware of the upcoming split, and why this is such good news for most players!
What is happening is that the iPoker Network decided to split their cash game (and SNG) tables between those members who provide new players and depositors – and those who do not. This means that the bigger members, with their marketing money will segregate themselves from the smaller skins who tend to attract winning players with generous VIP deals… The new message is that if a skin does not attract new money to the network, they will not get to play in the games which are full of new players who come through the big betting brands.
This will make the already soft iPoker Network even softer (in the top tier) by excluding many of the winning multi-tabling ‘grinders’ from the majority of games… If you go through one of the bigger brands such as Titan Poker or William Hill, then you will get access to that cross-over traffic and new players… if you choose a 40% ‘VIP deal’ from the smaller skins, then you will only get to play against other VIP players (these games are likely to be tighter and tougher).
Which Games Will Be Affected Come 1st September
This is the latest news, iPoker have announced which games are going to be affected by the split. First of all, Multi-table tournaments are not affected at all, these remain open all network members.
Cash games with blinds up to $2 / $4 and SNGs are going to be the main games which are split. These are the popular games for grinders and will have the biggest impact on the network traffic. There has not been an announcement on whether the Speed Holdem will be included in the split at the present time.
Which Sites Will Be In The iPoker Top Tier?
I will do a detailed comparison of the sites remaining in the top tier once we see the split happen in September. For now the top brands are the places to head – I am sure that there will be some big promotions and offers to mark the event, so make sure that you get yourself in a position to receive them.
Here is my list of Sites 100% Sure To Make The Cut
#1 – Titan Poker. Regular readers will already know that this is my personal favorite, and once the tables get softer after the split I will be spending even more time there! Titan are the biggest site on the iPoker Network and offer a fantastic series of rewards and bonuses. These include the ‘Titan Treasures’ loyalty scheme (which is in addition to their generous points collection / bonus scheme), a huge amount of promotions and on-off offers + a 200% welcome bonus up to $2k.
If for some reason that is not enough, I will add $20 cash to your player account within 48 hours for new players using bonus code PBKLUB (min deposit $30 for this extra freeby). Titan are a great outfit who really do look after their players well, click here to check them out for yourself now!
#2 – William Hill. This is a huge UK sports betting brand who I feel have ‘woken up’ to poker over the last couple of years. You get a lot of big-brand benefits as well as definite access to the top-tier iPoker tables. Plenty of rewards here to, starting with a 200% match to $2,000 on your first deposit. No special codes needed at William Hill – check them out via this link.
#3 – Bet365. Another huge betting brand (do you see why this network is considered so soft yet??!).
#4 – PaddyPower. The Irish betting site, I love the way these guys get viral publicity.
There are a couple more I am 90% certain of, however I will hold off from mentioning them until that rises to 100%.
This is going to be a huge change for online poker in general, and I think that once word gets around that the games are good – the iPoker network will benefit overall.