The Online Landscape Following the Black Friday Bloodletting

By Paul Ellis

PokerSoftware.com

If you’ve ever seen the reality television show Survivor, then you’re familiar with the concept of “surviving the merge.” Contestants on the show begin as two tribes. Along the way, they compete in various games, eliminating one player at a time until eventually the two teams are “merged” into one.

The merge of the two teams is typically the turning point of the show and provides the contestants with a light at the end of the tunnel. Moreover, the game shifts completely as players begin to loosen their tribal alliances and focus more on what will eventually take them to the winner’s circle.

In the wake of the events of April 15th, or “Black Friday” as it has come to be known, online poker players and poker software companies alike have experienced a survival merge of their own. The game has changed radically, as U.S. online poker players have been “voted off the island” – barred from the three largest U.S.-facing poker sites: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker/UB.

Now, players and companies have been left to focus on what’s left so they can provide a winning business model that will take them through to the end of the game and a profitable future.

The Merge Gaming Network has seen marked increases in player traffic since the events of Black Friday and continues to accept players from the United States. Sites such as Carbon Poker and Lock Poker have become safe bets for U.S. players looking to continue making a living from the game they love.

Due to the increases in popularity, poker software companies have really stepped up to the plate to deliver a suite of products to the masses to accommodate the merge that’s taking place in the poker industry.

Popular data management programs like PokerTracker, Holdem Manager and Poker Office have added support for the Merge Gaming Network. While this is good news for U.S. players who have made the transition to the network, it is also noteworthy for players in every area of the globe who now have access to these programs on virtually all online poker sites out there.

It’s not just poker tracking programs, either. PokerTableRatings.com and HHDealer have also announced ventures into the Merge Gaming Network. Data-mining has long been an important resource, allowing players to research their opponents and keep their own personal statistics on winning and losing sessions.

Now, PokerTableRatings.com and HHDealer have both announced impending updates that will add the Merge Gaming Network to their scope of player searches, which will allow players to purchase hand histories that can be imported directly to data management programs. Then a player’s Heads-Up Display will contain a wealth of information without having paid a big blind to get the statistics.

It’s clear that the online poker industry has been completely transformed in light of Black Friday. Needless to say, the merge has taken place in the industry’s game of Survivor. But the game is not over yet.