Unsurprising news

[peterbirks]

From Empire Online:

The Company announced on 10 October 2005 a separation in the gaming platform used by PartyGaming players and that used by "skins" of PartyGaming. Since that date, the Company has seen a slowdown in rake generated by EmpirePoker.com. Growth in new player sign-ups at the Empire Online network as a whole has remained strong.

The Company now expects Empire Online's net profit for 2005 to be approximately 10% lower than consensus market estimates for the twelve months ended 31 December 2005.

Seasoned statement watchers will have noted the key phrase "as a whole".

So, the rake whores have departed in droves. How much so? Well, if Empire has had to issue a statement within a week, one has to assume, "quite a lot".

Empire goes on to put a lot of faith in the future of other operations; it also emphasises the potential within Noble Poker.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Were there really lots and lots of people playing four or five tables of small limit games who survived by winning small and getting a big rakeback? I was puzzled by some of the people on 2+2 who said things like 'I'll have to revise my resume' when the split happened. I like rakeback, I really do, but I didn't live for it.

DY

[andy-ward-uk.livejournal.com]

Well, if they want anyone to return, they'll have to do better than a 20x bonus that must be played within 10 days.

Andy.

The "bonus"

[peterbirks.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw that. So, a $300 match bonus and all I have to do is play 6,000 raked hands within 10 days, on a site approaching tumbleweed status. Yeah, right.

What's worrying is that they might have fools in charge who think that this bonus will tempt people back. As you say, if this is the best that they can offer, then they are in big doo doo.

In reply to David's point, there were a number of four-tablers at 5-10 and above who, yes, basically made a subsistence living by finding loose games, only playing Aces, Kings and AK, and subsisting on rakeback. These players, rather than the 15-30 players (who have also departed, mainly because there are now no opponents on Empire) generated a lot in rake for Empire. Now they have gone.

Pete

Noble Poker

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Peter,

I downloaded Noble to have a look see since I found out Empire owned them. I've seen fairly negative comments on 2+2 regarding their software and games, and they don't seem to have much traffic. Empire's best bet imo would be to bail party's platform and transfer all their players to Noble, and then invite the other skins to do the same since the traffic on the skins tables on party would be squat without empire players. They thus would have their own skins. All this assuming their contract with party would allow them to bail at their pleasure. Of course as I've said before, if empire's own plans are just to stream poker players into their own casino sites, then maybe they wouldn't want skins like party came to do.

BluffTHIS!