End Of 2013 Update: Lock Poker have left the Revolution Gaming Network. There have been some accusations from both sides concerning money and unethical behavior.
Here is what we do know:
1) Pure Poker, which downloads when you access the old Lock client, has no connection to Lock and is not in a position to get your Lock balance transferred. This appears to be a method of keeping players on this network on a new client with what might be described as a questionable technique.
2) Lock are now a stand alone site, have new software and have games active. Not too many games at the moment, though it is early days. They are claiming that their focus is on getting the withdrawals situation organized. This is required for player confidence, and if they can get this right, there is a chance that the move will be a success as we go into 2014.
All a little up in the air at the moment, so I can not recommend that PokerBonusNetwork readers play there. I am genuinely hopeful that the withdrawals are fixed and that Lock can start fresh in 2014. US poker needs some solid rivalry to ensure that players get the best treatment and benefits.
At the moment Carbon Poker (Merge Network) are the best US site by far for me, if you do not mind the odd anonymous tables, then Bovada are even bigger.
I will keep you posted as things develop.
(original (out of date!) article follows below here)
Great news for both US and worldwide poker players – there is a new poker network on the scene, they have a big budget for growth, and already look to be breathing some much needed competition into the formerly stagnant US online poker market.
I’m talking about the Revolution Gaming Network and their flagship site Lock Poker.
Lock were previously on the Merge Network. What they have done is to purchase the Cake Poker Network, rename this as ‘Revolution Gaming’ and started getting a big stable of online poker pros to represent their brand. While they bought the network, Cake Poker itself was a separate entity and has now stopped serving US players. Seems a little complex, however the result is very simple: Lock have their own network the biggest welcome bonus of any major online poker site… and they mean business, with player numbers already up to around 6,500 at peaks – and growing fast.
This article will give you a flavor of what to expect at Lock (especially when compared to the rival Merge Network) and will be linked in the right hand side bar as a reference for future posts.
Who Are The Sites On The Revolution Gaming Network?
There are several sites (or skins) on this new network, some accept US players and others do not. Here is a list of some of the better ones:
- Lock Poker, flagship (owners) and biggest single site.
- Cake Poker, long established brand, no longer accepting US players
- Juicy Stakes Poker, smaller skin who have grown recently by taking the US accounts from Cake and others.
- Other brands include Intertops and Tower.
There Really Is Just 1 ‘Key Site’ On This Network – Lock Poker
Here are a few reasons to play:
1) Software: While the old Cake Software was nothing to shout about, this has gone into a redevelopment phase and is getting more configurable by the minute. It is easy to find good games in the lobby and easy to multi-table too – oh, and it looks great in the black, white and grey Lock branding too!
2) Bonuses: 200% to start you off (up to a staggering $4,000 max) for new players using bonus code PBKLUB to deposit, and then daily rewards of 15% to 45% cashback for regular players (white level and above), huge promotions and the ability to spend the points you accumulate at the tables on even more bonus cash… Lock really do go out of their way to look after their players.
3) Easy Games: For me the games are noticeably easier than the pre black-Friday Stars (or Tilt) tables – yet a little tighter than some of the really crazy European sites like 888 and OnGame. The lower limits should be a breeze to profit from for anyone with some poker strategy knowledge!
4) Tournaments: Revolution have really breathed new life into the US tournament scene. Not only having 2 big games of their own on Sundays, they have ‘forced’ Merge to compete too – meaning that players can now combine the two networks to build themselves a half-decent lower level tournament schedule.
5) Cool Promos: One off promos like the Lock Lotto and satellites to major events kick us off… but nothing recently has compared to the ‘Knights’ leader board contest, which is giving away $2,000,000 in cash, gadgets and tournament entries to players across all game formats. You do not even need to be a high roller to score a nice prize, as there are tiers for different buy-in levels.
For me there is only one choice on this new network, I look forward to bringing you news of the new rivalry between the US networks as we move into 2013, this has to be a big positive for us, the players!
Check out Lock Poker now! Remember bonus code PBKLUB for your huge 200% welcome bonus!
Revolution Network Links
- To follow (this is my first revolution article, and I will be updating some of the old Cake ones and adding new pieces next week)