12 Jan
It was a good start of the year for the Big Three of poker as they all posted increases in their player averages in the first ten days of 2015.
As always, PokerStars continues to rule the roost in a huge way. According to PokerScout, the Isle Of Man-based network currently boasts a seven day player average of 20500, which was up 1000 on the end of 2014.
In second place remains 888poker, which has consolidated on its strong end to 2014 with a further growth of its seven day player average. The Gibraltar based network has boosted its average by 100 to take it to 2600 players, which has further asserted itself as the premier poker alternative to PokerStars.
While that is currently the case, third placed iPoker continues to put pressure on 888poker with further boosts in its player numbers. The network has seen a growth in its seven day player average of 200 since the start of the year, and the network now sees itself with an average of 2200 players.
That’s not quite enough to cause panic with 888poker, but it is enough to suggest that iPoker could very well make a run for second spot very soon.
In fourth places continues to sit Full Tilt, whose seven day player average remains unchanged at 1800. That puts it well behind the big three poker networks, but its consistent player numbers means that it may have found a home in fourth spot.
The key word in that sentence is ‘may’, however, as a number of other online poker networks are clawing at the feet of Full Tilt.
One of those is PokerStars.it, which currently sits in fifth spot on PokerScout’s poker traffic rankings with an average of 1700 players. That means any future increase in its player average may be enough for it to share or even snatch the coveted fourth spot from Full Tilt, which makes the potential battle worth keeping an eye on.
PartyPoker may also make a run for the fifth or even fourth spot, as it’s in a solid position to do so. The network currently sits in sixth spot – one down from the end of 2014 – but has actually seen in an increase in its player average over the same time, from 1500 to 1600.
Like Pokerstars.it, any further increase could see it in fifth or fourth place, and could also see a three way battle between Full Tilt, Pokerstars.it and PartyPoker as they all battle for superiority on the rankings list.
PokerStars.es, Winamax, Bodog and Adjarabet rounded out the top ten rankings list for the week. It will be especially interesting to watch PokerStars.es and Winamax’s player averages over the next few weeks as both networks are very close to each other on the list (1350 vs. 1300 players).
In the US, Party Borgata continues to lead the way in New Jersey with a seven day player average of 160, while WSOP’s online poker network has also kept its spot as the top network in Nevada so far in 2015, also with an average of 160 players over the past week.
