Online Poker Numbers on the Decline

There was a time when online poker was the most popular online activity, providing internet users from around the world with a unique gaming experience. Now, it seems as though the trend is dying, as online poker numbers have dropped for the past seven weeks.

According to traffic monitor Poker Scout, online poker activity is down 6% from this time last year. All of the Top Ten poker sites are seeing weaker numbers, and overall revenue has dropped by 12% since 2012.

While these numbers could mean that online poker is facing downswing, industry professionals are more optimistic. At Poker Scout, they are calling it a case of ‘spring fever’, as European temperatures are much higher than usual for this time of year.

“As usual, the fair weather sent players scrambling to get outside and away from their keyboards, causing traffic to plunge across the board,” says a spokesperson for PokerScout.

Despite the decline, PokerStars continued to be the top performer in the online poker market. iPoker followed closely behind along with 888 and Microgaming. Should PokerScout’s predictions prove positive, then these sites can expect a surge of activity in coming weeks.

Changes to Microgaming’s Bad Beat Jackpot Pay Off

Bad beat jackpots are becoming increasingly rare in the online casino world, since interest in progressive poker jackpots seems to be dying out. This month, Microgaming attempted to revive interest in bad beat jackpots by making quite a few changes to its network, and they seem to be paying out.

According to PokerFuse, since the new jackpot program was launched, Microgaming has paid out twice in two days. The new format ensures that more players can cash in on the jackpot prize, which will definitely attract more players to Microgaming’s poker network.

“With the introduction of our new Bad Beat Jackpot, we solve the problem of liquidity segmentation seen in other Bad Beat Jackpots, and make the whole promotion accessible to all MPN players,” says Lydia Melton, Microgaming’s Head of Network Games.

The first progressive prize was awarded to a player named TiltShove. They won $450 000 after losing a bad beat while the rest of the table split the remaining $250 000. Two days later, a player who lost four-of-a-kind 2s to four-of-a-kind 6s won a $360 000 bad beat jackpot prize. The qualifying hand for most bad beat jackpots is usually quad 8s, but Microgaming has made it easier for victims of bad beats to cash in on generous prizes.

GTECH G2 and PlayTech Want Zynga Contract

Zynga has announced that it is finally making plans to enter the online gambling market. After years of running the most successful, social poker application on Facebook, the company felt that it was about time to venture into the real-money world. Zynga has opened up bidding, requesting the assistance of experienced gaming operators.

GTECH G2 and PlayTech have jumped at the chance, although we anticipate plenty of other developers will come forward. Since Zynga is renowned for operating a free-money poker app that draws in millions of players each month, each company sees the incredible value of working with the company.

While many of Zynga Poker’s players are under the age of 18, the new real money application will certainly convert adult players to playing online poker. The launch of the new website will not only boost Zynga’s business but boost activity in the online poker world, overall.

Zynga is currently considering the possibilities, as gaming developers continue to bid on the license. Whoever wins can look forward to working on the hottest new online poker site to hit the internet in years.

New BluffCam App Offers Poker Players An Edge

When it comes to playing poker, bluffing is one of the most intricate features of gameplay. However, many players cannot be objective when it comes to gauging how stern their poker face actually is – and you can’t really trust your opponents to give you honest insight on what your tells really are. That’s why WowWee has created BluffCam, a smartphone application that helps you form the perfect poker face.

BluffCam is a first-of-its-kind application that gives players unique insight into their own behaviour at the poker table. It not only measures their heart rate but tracks the tone of their skin to determine how players actually react during certain hands. Players can track their progress on a handy notepad that is included in the application.

Soon, WowWee will release BluffCam – Table Edition, which allows players to investigate the poker faces of their opponents. If the application is a success, it is likely that mobile phones will be banned from poker tables. In most card rooms, they can be used so long as the player is not involved in a hand; however, the introduction of poker strategy related apps may see their use banned completely.

Half Price Sunday on Poker Stars

Whether you’re a grinder or a casual player in the online poker world, you probably know that Sundays are the busiest days on Poker Stars for tournaments. In addition to the Sunday Storm and Sunday Millions, the poker room offers a wide range of unique tournaments that you just can’t compete in any other day of the week. This Sunday is going to be special, however, as all tournaments are half-price!

This is the first half-price Sunday ever, and Poker Stars is pleased to offer players a wide selection of affordable poker comps this week. The comps included in the promotion are:

• Sunday Kickoff – $54.50
• Sunday Warm-Up – $107.50
• Sunday Storm – 5.50
• Sunday Million – $107.50
• Women’s Sunday – $27.50

With the Warm Up and the Million costing just over $100, the field of players is likely to be huge. While the tournaments normally attracted 2000 to 3000 players, Poker Stars is expecting upwards of 6000 players in each. So, the guarantee for these tournaments is likely to climb to unprecedented heights!

Zynga Poker Revenue in the Billions

Zynga Poker is the most popular play-money online poker application for residents of New Zealand. Millions of users across the country and around the world log into the Facebook accounts every day just to play this particular game. Some players only have Facebook accounts just so that they can play on Zynga Poker.

So, it is no wonder that Zynga Poker is a profitable online game. What you may not be aware of, however, is the fact that the application brought in over $1 billion in revenue last year – $1.14 billion to be exact.

While Zynga Poker is a free-play casino game, the app generates a great deal of money through ad revenue. Players can also purchase chips when they run low on their play money funds. Together, these two sources of revenue have made Zynga the most profitable free-play casino game ever.

So, it is little surprise that Zynga would be considering entering the online gambling market. The company has expressed interested in working with online casino brands to introduce pay-to-play games in the online gambling world. Using Zynga Poker’s profitability as a guide, we believe that this venture would be a successful one.

Could Zynga Enter The Online Gambling Market?

Zynga, one of Facebook’s most popular social games developers, is rumoured to be thinking of entering the online gambling market. With the release of its first Casino branded game, the company seems well-positioned to open a new real-money online casino. A number of sources have confirmed that Zynga is considering the possibly.

The company already has an existing fan base in the online gaming world. Millions of players log on to Facebook to compete with their friend in a game of the ever-popular Zynga Poker. Through ad revenue and selling online coins and prize, the game has made a pretty profit, but Zynga wants more.

Zynga recently listed itself on the stock exchange, with poor results, and a real-money gambling website would help the company recover from not meeting its IPO expectations. As such, an online casino would bring in a great deal of revenue for the already profitable company.

Some sources have confirmed that Zynga is now looking for a partner, with which to explore the online gambling market. While the company has not made a public announcement yet, a spokesperson stated that online gambling is a market that Zynga is very interested in.