First Look: Run It Once Goes Live for International Poker Players

Run It Once, the brainchild of online poker icon Phil Galfond, is out of private beta testing and available for real money play.

Run It Once is now in public beta testing, meaning players can finally see the fruits of Phil Galfond’s labor. (Image: Run It Once)

After developing the site for more than two years, Galfond announced in a recent blog post that his project would finally go live on February 6. In outlining the current state of play, Galfond provided an overview of how Run It Once came into being.

Run It Once Designed for Players

Starting with his initial vision, the high stakes pro used the February 3 update to remind players that his aim is to offer a pure poker experience. After seeing online poker sites moving away from what he saw as player-focused business models, Galfond wanted to create a platform that wasn’t as corporate.

By developing features designed to satisfy the needs of professionals and casual players, the American is bidding to offer value for everyone.

Previous tests and previews captured the community’s interest, but now they’ll have the opportunity to test for real.

As regulations change and the site evolves, Galfond will seek to obtain licenses in new territories. With PokerStars proving that liquidity sharing in France, Spain and Portugal is profitable, this is likely to be one of the entrepreneur’s first targets.

Active Player Will be Rewarded

For those that can access the site, the feature many will be eager to test is Splash the Pot. Unlike traditional loyalty schemes that rewards players based on the amount they wager, Splash the Pot offers random prizes.

Each time a hand is dealt, it’s possible to trigger the feature. When it is activated, bonus chips are dropped into the pot and the table glows.

The eventual winner of the hand not only scoops the pot but bonus chips worth between one and 100 big blinds.

In tandem with this innovation, third-party tracking software is banned. However, players will get visual cues from their opponent based on their tendencies and their avatar’s expressions.

Like all new ventures, the online poker site is likely to experience some teething issues. To ensure a faultless service, Run It Once will remain in “public beta” until the developers believe it’s virtually “flawless”.

“We can conquer threats to online poker’s future through the innovations we launch. We can be a driving force for positive change in the industry and we can make Run It Once Poker exactly what a poker site should be,” Galfond concluded in his February 3 blog.

At that point, Galfond is confident his platform will be a welcome addition to the online poker community.

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