Highest Stakes Tables and USD Discontinued at iPoker

The iPoker network has previously released highlights of the changes they have been planning to implement to favour recreational players. More details have now surfaced, including cuts in table offering and supported currencies.

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Playtech has previously announced some changes in the iPoker network that would further enhance the game experience for recreational users [4], in most cases at the expense of higher stakes regulars. More details surfaced today, so let us take a look at the plans of the network. According to the official announcement, games in USD will be discontinued; highest stakes tables removed; and the range of table variants reduced.

Removing USD games

As a first step, USD tables will be converted to EUR: as of 25 November, the conversion of Sit n’ Go and multi-table tournament tables occur, starting from lower to higher stakes. All tournaments will be converted after 1 January 2014. The value in EUR will be around the equivalent of the value in USD; for instance, the $5 + $0.50 $2,500 GTD Re-buy tournament will be converted into a €3.70 + €0.30 event with a guarantee of €2,000.

As far as cash games go, Hold’em and Omaha tables from 0.01/0.02 to 0.50/1 will go from USD to EUR effective 6 January 2014, together with all Speed Hold’em and Stud games. All remaining games are being converted a week later, on 13 January 2014.

Consolidating table variants

Only 4 table types remain in the portfolio after 2 December: Shallow (20-50 BBs), Normal (40-100 BBs), Ante (100 BBs, antes) and Anonymous (30-100 BBs). Time banks will be set universally at 20 seconds for No-Limit Hold’em and Speed Hold’em games and 25 seconds for Pot Limit Omaha.

10-max Sit n’ Go games are discontinued as well, being converted to 9-max and multiple game types will be removed (including all 18+ players multi-table Sit n’ Gos). The conversion of the Sit n’ Go tables to EUR will occur in December, starting on the 2nd.

Removing “less-used” stakes

Also effective 2 December, the network removes “several of the unpopular and less cost-effective” stakes games. The following tables will be discontinued:

• No Limit Hold’em heads-up games of 10/20 and higher stakes
• No Limit Hold’em 6-max games of 100/200 and 200/400 stakes
• No Limit Hold’em full ring games of 10/20, 50/100 and 100/200 stakes (25/50 and 200/400 remain)
• Fixed Limit Hold’em heads-up games of 50/100 and higher stakes
• Fixed Limit Hold’em 6-max games of 50/100 and higher stakes
• Fixed Limit Hold’rm full ring games across all stakes
• Omaha heads-up games of 50/100 and higher stakes
• Omaha 6-max games of 50/100 and higher stakes
• Omaha full ring games of 3/6, as well as 50/100 and higher stakes