Online Poker Traffic Update

The malicious spyware referred to as Odlanor that apparently affected PokerStars and Full Tilt last month may be responsible for a drop in cash game player traffic at the world's top site.

PokerStars is down an average of 500 players since PokerTube last provided a traffic update on the 1st of September. That 500-player loss would be devastating for just about every other poker room. But it's a mere drop in the bucket for PokerStars, still averaging 15,000 players according to PokerScout.

Hard to say whether Odlanor is to blame for the traffic slowdown at 'Stars. While some in the industry expressed a bit of panic over the revelation that hole cards of players could be read due to the malware, others simply pointed out that the virus won't affect players who download third party software in a responsible fashion.

Full Tilt (850), meanwhile, experienced no change in player traffic. That could lead one to believe that other factors were involved in the decline at PokerStars. WCOOP was in action from September 6-27 at PokerStars, which likely prompted some cash game players to buy-in and join tournament play.

That may be the more probable reason for less ring game players. In any event, after the Odlanor dust settled, it seems the entire incident turned out to be much ado about nothing.

888poker grabs biggest increase

The biggest gainer for the month among the top ten poker rooms and networks was 888poker, picking up 200 cash players and solidifying its runner-up status behind PokerStars in the worldwide market. A seven-day average of 2,300 players patronize 888's cash poker tables currently.

The tournament tables will be rocking at 888poker in the near future as the site just announced that a Super XL Series is in the works. Guaranteed prize pools totaling $3 million are promised, featuring a GTD $1 million Main Event with a $1,050 buy-in.

Only two other top ten poker rooms experienced an increase in players over the last month, as both 4th-ranked iPoker Network (1,400) and 6th place Partypoker (1,100) picked up 100 players each. Partypoker has jumped on the "level the playing field" bandwagon with its recent announcement that the use of HUDs and seating scripts will no longer be permitted. Hand history downloads have been restricted as well. Good move, bwin.party.

Player traffic decrease among top 10

Other than PokerStars, two top ten poker sites lost players month-over-month. Both of those are PokerStars' ring-fenced offerings, as PokerStars.es (850) and PokerStars.fr (700) experienced decreases of 100 and 150 players, respectively. They are situated in 8th and 10th place worldwide.

Four poker rooms experienced no change over the last month. Full Tilt was mentioned previously, with the other stable sites being Bodog/Bovada (1,700) in 3rd place, PokerStars.it (1,250) in 5th, and Winamax.fr (1,000) holding down 7th.

Bovada continues to lead the pack among U.S.-facing poker rooms that are non-regulated. We are nearing four years since Bodog switched to its anonymous player format and over five years since rakeback was abolished. The poker room that's arguably the most recreational player friendly is still going strong.

U.S. non-regulated

The biggest increase among the unregulated poker networks in the U.S. went to Chico (600), who grabbed 100 players on average to take over 2nd place in the category. Chico outpaced the Winning Poker Network (525), as WPN managed to pick up 25 players.

WPN will host four consecutive Million Dollar Sundays starting on October 4, the tournaments that feature a guaranteed $1 million prize pool and $200,000 to the winner. The buy-in is fixed at $540, with tons of satellites available at flagship skin Americas Cardroom.

While the cash game tables may be less crowded at WPN on Sundays during the huge events, I have a feeling that ring game player traffic may see a boost overall for the month due to the publicity surrounding the Million Dollar Sundays. New players come for the tournaments and click their way over to the cash game action after busting out.

The little guys

While Chico and WPN moved forward, Merge and the Equity Poker Network (EPN) saw player traffic head south. Merge and the once popular Carbon Poker dropped 15.4% of cash game action from 260 to 220. Slow cashouts continue to plague Carbon and it wouldn't be surprising to see player traffic continue to fall until the situation is rectified, if ever.

The decrease was not as drastic at EPN, where 10 less players bring the current average to 110. Last but not least among the smaller non-regulated U.S.-facing poker networks is Revolution, enjoying a modest bump up from 85 players to 90.

U.S. regulated

The world of online poker was buzzing just a few days ago with the announcement that PokerStars and Full Tilt received approval by the Division of Gaming Enforcement to operate in New Jersey. There is much speculation over the impact that the sites owned by Amaya will have on the tiny market.

While we may see a slight traffic boost overall, keep in mind that there is only so far up that player traffic can go considering that New Jersey is not yet sharing player pools with any other states. In any event, PokerTube extends it congratulations to Amaya and PokerStars, with hopes that approval in other states will also be forthcoming in the near future.

Without PokerStars, the poker networks in New Jersey both saw a decrease in ring game action over the last month. The WSOP.com and 888poker pairing lost 10 players to fall to 170, while Partypoker NJ and BorgataPoker lost the same amount of players and now average 110.

The interstate partnership between WSOP.com in Nevada and the trio of poker sites in Delaware ended their two-month decline, remaining stable and without any gain at 160. For those hoping to see PokerStars also win license approval in Nevada, the current statute in the Silver State doesn't allow it due to PokerStars operating in the U.S. market after the UIGEA was passed in 2006.