Party's Bonus Bonanza

[FishBurger]

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So now party says, O.K. We will open up that game and let you pay out under us as well. They start this agressively after they see the impact empire has had on them. They realize that players are staying at the second site they signed up for to get the rake back and use their party accounts for bonuses only.

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I'm confused. Empire is a "Party" skin, right? So each different "Party skin" is run by a different company? What is the overall business model? Does one company own the software, host all the players, and lease out the software for customization to the "skin" companies? Do the "skin" companies then compete with each other for players?

[Benholio]

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Thanks for the info. Seemed strange to me because I don't understand how giving free money to people who already have their rolls in play and are playing is profitable? Or is it just because of the possible increase in play by people trying to clear?

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Well, having a few million extra dollars laying around can be pretty valuable to a company that knows how to use it.

[cbfair]

OK, I'll bite...

I said I agree with you completely in the other thread, this was based on my understanding of a simple modification to Baulucky's plan you proposed over there.

I don't think his plan is inherently bad, I just think that as he originally stated it, it will encourage better players to play ALOT more and multi table ALOT more to clear the huge number of hands required. This is the opposite of what we all want which is more soft players buying into the tables we play at.

I don't know the details of how this would have to work, but I think Party/skins ought to find new ways to infuse capital at the bottom of the system to keep the whole thing afloat for the long term. We all know that in poker, cash always flows from the weakest players at the low levels to the strongest players at the top levels. Any program that rewards players at the middle-to-higher levels (3/6 and up in this case) automatically cuts out those who need the money most and do the most to "feed" the whole system.

An inexpensive "bonus coupon" that releases a larger bonus (like $1000) in measured increments will allow weak players to keep playing for very long periods of time while providing no real incentive for them to improve their play. Imagine how much rake Party could take off of low stakes tables if fish were infinitely supplied with cash... The real benefit is that it encourages multi tablers to hone their games and then take their bankrolls to the higher limits, some will be strong players and others will become the new fish in town.

These "super-bonuses" are like a long term investment that grows in value over time. Party would likely make more in rake than the bonus amount while it was initially cleared, but when the bonus is released, this allows losing players to keep playing and generating rake. It also encourages more multitablers (who generate up to 4x the rake) to come in and feed on the fish or be eaten themselves. Everybody wins...

Any thoughts?

Oh, to reiterate to Baulucky, I think his initial idea of a pre-paid "bonus coupon" is really great and I'm glad he suggested it. I just think it can stand some tweaking - the concept remains the same, its only a modified implementation that I'm supporting here.

[detroitplayer]

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I'm suprised noone has anything at all to say here.... ???

As defined by Webster's dictionary...

Cashout restricted bonus : Money is applied to your poker account at the site you are playing with under the assumption you will play the required number of hands they request. If you do not complete the hands in time they remove the money from your account. There are discrepencies as to whether they will remove the amount from future deposits if the bonus period passed and the WR were not met. Also if you have a bonus such as this for $100 you will not be able to cashout leaving LESS than $100 in your account until the WR are met

Deposit Bonus - you deposit money & have to play a certain # of hands prior to having the bonus released, once released it is your money cashout do whatever you want with it.

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Ok, I understand the differences in both. However, they are both similar. You can't cash out the money until you've cleared the hands. Great.

I learn something new every day, however, I still don't understand what that has to do with anything I've previously posted in this thread.

I was only curious as to whether reload bonuses were offered to players who still had their rolls in play and were still actively playing.

For instance, if I leave my phone carrier, they will call me back 2 weeks later and offer me a great deal to switch my service back over with them. They do this because I am no longer their customer and in order to get me back, they offer up a good deal. They do not offer the same deal to the people who already have their phone service. And why should they? They already have their business.

That is why I was wondering if the reload bonuses were only good for people who had $0 balances (ie, cancelled the service - and the bonus was to try to "get them back") and if people who already had money in the account ("still current customers") were eligible too.

[BradleyT]

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I'm confused. Empire is a "Party" skin, right? So each different "Party skin" is run by a different company? What is the overall business model? Does one company own the software, host all the players, and lease out the software for customization to the "skin" companies? Do the "skin" companies then compete with each other for players?

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Pretty much. I'm not sure about the licensing details but they probably pay a small lease fee to Party and a small percentage of the rake.