Every time Phil Galfond does something in the poker world, it makes waves. Nothing was different a month ago when the BetRivers Poker platform was launched in Pennsylvania. Galfond sold his Run it Once Poker to Rush Street Interactive, which developed and made upgrades while still keeping Galfond as the main developer.
The plan for BetRivers Poker was to disrupt the poker market with the lowest or no rake for some period (an experimental three months) and generous rewards for the players. Galfond said that was an experimental plan to see if the rise in traffic could be transferred to the main sports betting site as compensation for the no rake.
This philosophy is a breath of fresh air, especially compared to other major poker sites. PokerStars recently increased the rake for US clients.
“Shortly after launch, BetRivers Poker will go from having one of the lowest rakes in Pennsylvania to something much more radical. We plan to keep none of it, giving our share of rake away in rakeback, rewards, incentives, freerolls, and more. We will aim to disrupt the way online poker is run in PA and, if successful, many more regulated jurisdictions.” This was posted on the BetRivers Poker website.
After the initial hype, there was not much news or exposure to the site, and everything was quiet. Phil Galfond made a few streams of him playing on the site, and the new SNG Saturdays and MTT Early Bird promotions were launched, and traffic has started to increase slowly.
Even though everything is still early, it looks like the site is moving in the right direction and building a base of customers. We can also see that they corrected some mistakes from the old software and are investing and innovating to grow the platform organically.
Here is another example of how Phil understands problems in poker better than most developers:
Hopefully, the whole thing will be a success and will grow in other US and non-US countries as the product they offer seems to be the best deal in the current market.
“As poker players, we designed this platform from the ground up to be for the players – all players. From the amateur playing their very first hand to the sophisticated pro, everyone was kept in mind as we focused on fairness, excitement, and generous rewards that truly benefit the player. I’ve been heavily involved in the game design, promotions, and policy decisions, and, more importantly, in building an incredible team that sees online poker the way I do.” said Galfond.
PokerStars rake increase image source: Pokerfuse
