Anyone else think empire should make a move

scrapperdog · #1 10-09-2005, 08:32 AM

By cutting rake in half, maybe on Noble poker. I know they are part of a network and it would be complicated but this is the time for the network to make a move. Cut rake in half on the Noble network. Then build an advertising campain based on this half rake premise, and see if you can draw people in.

Things are never gonna be the same for you empire. You can accept that and try and scrape whatever is left out or you can make a move and see what happens. You still can communitate with tens of thousands of players .. soon to be ex-players on your site. Send every one of them an e-mail saying Noble has cut the rake in half and you might have a chance to build something.

aucu · #2 10-09-2005, 08:42 AM

No doubt this is on the table as this is why they have Nobel.

#3 10-09-2005, 03:22 PM

psychology speaking, i would rather get my $2000 directly into my account, than knowing i have a discount while playing. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] don't you think?

Precision1C · #4 10-09-2005, 08:23 PM

Some random observations:
1. Party became one of the huge poker sites because of the number of fish that played at all levels.
2. Party stategy seems to be based on the premise that we got the fish so the destroy the rest of the network and get the sharks to pay us their rake instead of a skin.
3. Party has a large pool of fish even with one of the highest rakes of online poker.

Conclusion: lowering rake won't draw fish into a network just mainly multitabling fish devouring sharks. To get fish it looks like you have to advertise, have some bonuses, value added or guaranteed prize pool tournements and some kind of promotional benefit that looks good to long-term losing fish that doesn't cost too much. If Empire is going to try recover and become what the Party Poker network used to be they will need to suck in tons and tons of fish. Just shipping over their current stock of high volume players and adding some more via a rake cut doesn't look to really help them much. To try to out Party Party they might end up pushing the Empire Poker network hard and then eventually increase the rake to cover the increased costs.

#5 10-09-2005, 08:35 PM

Yep, advertising "we have the lowest rake!" is not gonna bring in the fish at all. Their response will be, "So when I win a $50 pot, instead of having $3 taken out, $2 will be taken out... who cares!"

The fish like freerolls and bonuses and such.

The one thing that might get their attention would be automatic rakeback. "Play x number of hands per month at x level, and we give you $100 a month whether you win or lose!"

$100 bonus, $100 a month (or $1000, or whatever, depending on stakes played), that is what fish notice. $1 per pot rake difference, why, that's nothing!

scrapperdog · #6 10-09-2005, 08:39 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Some random observations:
1. Party became one of the huge poker sites because of the number of fish that played at all levels.
2. Party stategy seems to be based on the premise that we got the fish so the destroy the rest of the network and get the sharks to pay us their rake instead of a skin.
3. Party has a large pool of fish even with one of the highest rakes of online poker.

Conclusion: lowering rake won't draw fish into a network just mainly multitabling fish devouring sharks. To get fish it looks like you have to advertise, have some bonuses, value added or guaranteed prize pool tournements and some kind of promotional benefit that looks good to long-term losing fish that doesn't cost too much. If Empire is going to try recover and become what the Party Poker network used to be they will need to suck in tons and tons of fish. Just shipping over their current stock of high volume players and adding some more via a rake cut doesn't look to really help them much. To try to out Party Party they might end up pushing the Empire Poker network hard and then eventually increase the rake to cover the increased costs.

[/ QUOTE ]

Soo your answer is to sit back, do nothing and let empire poker die instead of making a move while things are still up in the air? Pure genius. Sitting back and comparing empire to a different company that was part of its past instead of looking to the future. You have a brilliant career as a leader of a progressive industry in your near future.

How do you know that empire cant carve out a niche by offering half the rake of other sites? As far as I know this has never been done by a major poker room. Combine this with an advertising campain that touts 50% rake compared to the other sites and maybe something will happen. I am not saying it will work, I have no clue if it will work. But I do know now is the time to try such a thing, if they ever want to be a major player again. Or you can sit back and compare empire to party and think about the old days.

#7 10-09-2005, 08:44 PM

Mr. Fish who has been watching Celebrity Poker Showdown and the World Poker Tour decides he wants to play poker online. He sees the new 50% empire rake ad and says, "Huh, what's rake?"

Then he sees an ad elsewhere offering "$100 SIGNUP BONUS" for partypoker, remembers those partypoker tv commercials that amused him, and goes and signs up.

cardcounter0 · #8 10-09-2005, 08:46 PM

It really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.
What matters is what Empire thinks.

scrapperdog · #9 10-09-2005, 08:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Yep, advertising "we have the lowest rake!" is not gonna bring in the fish at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seems to work pretty well in almost every industry I can think of. Of course I play the extra 50% on my car insurance just because I get to meet the people in the office and get free lollypops. And yes I would rather pay triple the price of a motel 6 just for the hell of it. Has this ever been tried by a major poker room?

Maybe the half rake is not the answer, I dont know. Maybe the 100$ a month win or lose is a better one. My point is that a move needs to be made, what the right move is I dont know, just offering up a suggestion.

scrapperdog · #10 10-09-2005, 08:52 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Mr. Fish who has been watching Celebrity Poker Showdown and the World Poker Tour decides he wants to play poker online. He sees the new 50% empire rake ad and says, "Huh, what's rake?"

Then he sees an ad elsewhere offering "$100 SIGNUP BONUS" for partypoker, remembers those partypoker tv commercials that amused him, and goes and signs up.

[/ QUOTE ]

I dont know the kind of people you play against. The people I play against know what rake is, know this is how the poker room makes money, and know what "half the rake of other major poker rooms" is. They also know how to pick their nose and can walk while they are chewing gum. Maybe we are around different kinds of people?