No More Tiers as iPoker Network Ends Segregation Policy

Greg Shaun

6 years ago

iPoker has decided to end its tiered system after three years in an effort to improve its overall product. (Image: ipoker.com)

The division of resources on the iPoker Network is now no more thanks to a major change that rolled out today (August 11).

Following an announcement made by the network last week, the two-tier system that’s been in place at iPoker for three years has now been removed and all sites will now operate on the same playing.

A Level Playing Field

The rationale behind iPoker’s decision to split its network into two parts was to ensure that every site contributed equally to the coercion of new players.

Moreover, the split was designed to protect recreational players who didn’t want to have to play in cash games that were frequented by hardcore grinders attracted to the network through lucrative rakeback deals.

At the time this system was met with some skepticism, but in practice the set-up appeared to work well and offer players more choice. However, just three years on, the dual structure has now been broken up and all sites put into a single system.

From today, players on all iPoker sites will be able to compete in the same cash games as all other players across the network. Although some sites will still have certain cash game tables that are exclusive, the recent change should mean that traffic in games across the board increases.

As well as merging its two tiers, iPoker has also added more money to its promotions, such as the €100,000 depositor freerolls, which is another sign that the network is now becoming more player-friendly.

One Network is Better than Two

So why the change? The online poker industry is increasingly moving towards open platforms and player-friendly resources.

The recent recruitment of soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr is a sign that PokerStars is now looking to recruit recreational players with little knowledge of the game.

In the same vein, iPoker’s recent decision to eliminate the tier system appears to be a way of giving each site on the network a chance to benefit from associated sports books and casinos. Moreover, the consolidation of assets should give iPoker a more stable business base from which it can push its sites into attracting novice players.

Whether or not the changes will result in a significant change of fortune for the iPoker Network remains to be seen, but the initial reaction on 2+2 seems to be positive.

Although some are still skeptical about the network as a whole, many, such as “DoGGz”, feel that if this is a sign of new things then it “can only be a positive.”

So what exactly was the iPoker split?

In essence, the iPoker Network decided to separate its collection of sites into two distinct tiers. Tier 1 sites were smaller sites that focused more on high rakeback deals and hardcore grinders.

Tier 2 sites were the larger operators, such as William Hill and Titan Poker, which also had large sportsbooks, that could help flood the tables with recreational players.

Basically, the split was designed to keep pro players and novices somewhat separate so that the latter group weren’t targeted and, therefore, financially damaged on a regular basis.

A Level Playing Field

One Network is Better than Two

So what exactly was the iPoker split?

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