Online poker traffic dropped 3.2% last week due to serious losses at the very top of the charts. Among the top 10 sites and networks, advancers led decliners 7-3.
PokerStars traffic began returning to normal after the 90 billionth hand celebration. The site lost 10% for the week but remains 5% ahead of where it was three weeks ago, before the promotion started.
Full Tilt Poker continues to fall, losing another 10% last week. The site is now down 53% from its post-launch high.* With 50% more traffic than iPoker Network, Full Tilt is not yet in danger of losing its number two ranking, but that prospect is much closer than seemed possible a few weeks ago. *Note: Last week’s article incorrectly stated that Full Tilt’s traffic was down 55% from the high. It should have said that traffic was down 45%, i.e., down to 55% of the high. We apologize for the error.
PartyPoker got a strong boost from the Advent Calendar promotion, as player counts rose 10% from the previous week. In this promotion, which started December 1, players win prizes every day by opening the doors on the Advent calendar. Prizes include cash, merchandise and freeroll entries. The Advent Calendar continues until Christmas Eve.
The newly rebranded MPN (formerly Microgaming Poker Network) has seen more than its share of volatility lately. After falling 17% over the previous two weeks, the network rose 20% last week to end up exactly where it was three weeks ago. The timing may be purely coincidental, but it suggests that MPN lost a significant number of players to PokerStars during the 90 billionth hand promotion and has now gained them back.
Top 20 Movers
MPN (formerly Microgaming) moved back up into 10th place, retaking the spot from PokerStars.fr.
iPoker.fr climbed from 18th to 16th.
PartyPoker.fr rejoined the top 20, moving up to 18th place.
Merge Gaming Network slipped four notches to land in 20th.
PeoplesNetwork.it failed to hold onto 20th place and dropped out of the top 20.
Year Over Year
The relaunch of Full Tilt Poker has brought a significant number of players back into the online poker market. Nevertheless, the total worldwide market continues to feel the effects of a tough regulatory environment and a global stagnation in poker's popularity. The introduction of fast-fold poker in the last 12 months has also had the effect of reducing player counts for the same amount of play volume (or increasing the rate of hands dealt for a given number of players). According to PokerScout's ACES indicator, online poker player counts have decreased by 9% in the last year.
Year-over-year changes for some individual sites and networks are given below. Results are for the main (.com) sites and networks unless stated otherwise.
Top three:
PokerStars 17%
Full Tilt Poker (from 0)
iPoker Network 31%
Notable gainers:
iPoker.fr 2225%
Revolution Gaming (formerly Cake Poker Network) 53%
Notable decliners:
IGT Poker 100%
Merge Gaming Network 52%
International Poker Network (IPN) 48%
PKR 37%
iPoker.it 31%
PartyPoker 30%
Ongame Network 30%
Small but interesting:
Winning Poker Network (formerly Yatahay) 231%
Enet Poker Network 40%
Everleaf Gaming Network 52%
11/12/2012, 8:18 pm