Nevada Traffic Report: WSOP.com Anniversary Promos Propel Volume Upward

WSOP NV successfully stemmed the loss of its cash game traffic, which has been an issue since the live Series ended in early July. This was achieved by launching a series of anniversary-themed promotions that delighted both ring game and MTT enthusiasts.

Now that the party favors are discarded, can the network’s robust October promotional schedule maintain the momentum, or will the recent positive trend make a significant shift?

We have yet to determine the answer to that question, but it is clear that every time WSOP raises the stakes, its closest and seemingly only competitor, Ultimate Poker, seems to get a hit. The past two weeks followed this pattern, with traffic on the emerging network once again on a downward trend.

If UP performs poorly again in October, it could be disastrous for them, especially after their recent short-lived 10-month tenure in the New Jersey market, from which they have just withdrawn.

However, UP has no intentions of relinquishing its stake in Nevada without a struggle.

Cash game traffic: WSOP recoups early-September losses

Traffic on WSOP.com began to increase around the same time the network launched its first late-September flash promos, which was not a coincidence.

This is the current status of 7-day averages across all sites in Nevada, with figures from two weeks ago provided in parenthesis:

• WSOP NV: 98 (86)
• Ultimate Poker: 60 (65)
• Real Gaming: 0 (0)

Thanks, as always, to PokerScout Pro through PokerScout for providing the data.

In general, Nevada’s market would expand by a modest 4.6%, sufficient to exceed New Jersey and the international market, both of which experienced minimal losses.

From the 18th to the 23rd, WSOP NV saw its most significant growth (12.5%). This period coincided with the launch of its September reload bonus and two other promotions beneficial to players. One of these promos offered double player loyalty points from the 19th to the 27th.

It seems that giving back is rewarding.

Anniversary Series a mixed bag

WSOP’s $70,000 GTD Anniversary Series was the only part of their celebratory endeavors that did not achieve resounding success. This ambitious series, their most since hosting several cross-promotional events during the live WSOP, comprised of nine events with buy-ins ranging from a mere $5 to $200.

The only issue was that Nevada’s poker community was considerably bigger in June than it is currently, and the discrepancy was mirrored in the attendance numbers for the Anniversary Series.

This doesn’t mean everything was negative and hopeless, just that the Anniversary Series was a moderate success rather than a resounding one.

Here’s a look at how some of its major events performed:

• Event #2 – $10,000 Guaranteed No Limit Hold’em, $50 Rebuy & Add-on: Attracted 83 participants, with 55 rebuys and 60 add-ons, resulting in a $991 overlay.
• Event #3 – $25,000 Guaranteed NLHE, $200 Freezeout: As the largest event of the series, it also turned out to be the most successful, drawing in 150 competitors and generating a $27,750 prize pool.
• Event Number 10, a $15,000 Guaranteed No Limit Hold’em event with a $100 re-entry, drew 91 participants and saw 12 re-entries. This resulted in an impressive $5,627 overlay.

Other events usually either barely met their GTD or fell short by a relatively small margin.

One of the most positive conclusions from the series is that WSOP NV can regularly host larger guarantees and still anticipate decent participation. Is it possible that a weekly $25,000 GTD Sunday Major might be on the horizon for the Silver State?

Likely not, but WSOP can dependably organize single $25k events without the concern of using their own funds.

Ultimate Poker committed to Nevada market

Earlier this week, Ultimate Gaming Chairman Tom Breitling reaffirmed the company’s dedication to its Nevada customers in a statement to PokerFuse.

While this may seem adequate, UP is presently in a vulnerable position. It has lost a significant number of employees over the past few months, including key individuals like Terrence Chan and Joe Versace. In addition, the popular and charismatic Jason Somerville has stepped down as its ambassador, and UP has narrowly escaped New Jersey while still maintaining its integrity.

Further complicating matters, UP has not shown any growth in Nevada since it first lost its leading position almost a year ago.

So, pardon me if the pledge of a much-delayed software update and mobile launch doesn’t exactly evoke a sense of great excitement.

With Ultimate Poker ceasing to lose money on its unsuccessful New Jersey venture, it’s possible that it can now allocate more resources to enhancing its poker product. This could potentially benefit the company if it chooses to expand into new markets like Pennsylvania and California.

My suggestion to UP: Invest as much money as you can into improving your poker client until it appears to be a product released after 2005. If this necessitates temporarily reducing marketing and promotional activities in Nevada, then that’s a sacrifice worth making.

Prediction: WSOP’s October promos will make the grade

Momentum is crucial to all businesses, including online poker. Luckily, WSOP.com is maintaining its momentum by following up its late-September promotion with an October initiative. This combines some of its most popular promotions from previous months with a series of special tournament events.

Here’s the most prominent one among them:

• Reload Bonus for October: If you missed the bonus in September, there’s great news. WSOP is offering a 100% match bonus again to returning players, up to $400. This offer is valid from October 12 to 19.
• Leader Boards for Sit & Go: Like many WSOP.com enthusiasts, I would like WSOP to incorporate the SNG Leader Boards into their loyalty program. Currently, the well-liked promotion has returned, this time offering $18,000 in total to participants who earn the most points.
• Following its Anniversary Series, WSOP is launching an exclusive MTT promo as part of the Fall Poker Festival. This promo offers a guaranteed prize money of $60,000, distributed across eight events.

In combination, WSOP’s promotional endeavors should support the network’s continued expansion. However, realistically, it may be challenging for the network to replicate the success it had in June until the same month next year.

However, considering the robust schedule in October, it’s not unrealistic for cash game averages to be around 110 – 115.