PokerStars Drastically Reduces Cash Game Table Cap, From 24 to 4
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PokerStars has sent a message to its highest-volume multi-table grinders: if you still want to grind more than five tables, you'll have to pack your computer and bankroll and move your action elsewhere.
The world's leading online poker operator has introduced a drastic policy change, effective Aug. 20. Cash game players will henceforth be limited to a maximum of four tables, effective at all stakes and in all markets. UPDATE: According to Poker Industry PRO, segregated New Jersey and India markets are exempt from the change ($).
"We understand that this change will have a very real impact on many players, particularly those of you who rely on multi-tabling as professionals," wrote Severin Rasset, director of poker innovations and operations for The Stars Group. "We haven’t taken this decision lightly, and we are confident this is the right thing to do for the future of the game. I hope that by focusing more on each table and winning more at those tables, you’ll find a way to adapt and continue as part of our community."
Change Stems from Italy Trial
Table caps have been a relatively recent and much-debated topic among the poker community as various operators seek the optimal balance for their poker ecosystems.
Last July, PokerStars announced they'd be trialing a six-table cap in the fenced-in Italian market. Phil Galfond also went with a table cap of six from the get-go on Run It Once Poker.
"We haven’t taken this decision lightly, and we are confident this is the right thing to do for the future of the game."
When PokerStars initially announced the trial, reasoning given was primarily that the operator hoped to entice players to act faster, producing a more enjoyable playing environment for everyone.
Some regulars felt it was just PokerStars' latest attack on the bottom lines of winning players, on the heels of much-reviled changes to rewards programs that marginalized the highest-volume players. Other skeptics wondered if the site was attempting to speed up games purely to hasten the rake collecting process.
It was announced that data would be collected and analyzed to determine whether the change had a positive effect on the ecosystem, and naught was heard for about 13 months.
PokerStars Goes Ahead With Massive Cut
On Tuesday morning, a post hit the PokerStars Blog, with Rasset announcing the company had "carefully reviewed the results" of the trial. According to the post, not only was a cut determined to be in order, but the cut will go even further than the trial, as table cap will drop not just to six but all the way to four.
"We want to maintain a sustainable poker ecosystem and a platform that players of all abilities are excited to play on well into the future."
Previously, cash game players had been allowed to grind on up to 24 tables, meaning the policy change lops off more than 80% of multi-tabling potential.
Rasset wrote that the data showed four to be the "optimum" number of tables. He also reiterated the company's previously posted stance that reduction in multi-tabling should allow the best players to increase their win rates at the tables at which they do play.
"We want to maintain a sustainable poker ecosystem and a platform that players of all abilities are excited to play on well into the future," he wrote. "Attracting and retaining new poker players is crucial to the future of the game. By reducing the table cap from 24 to 4, we are reducing the number of multi-tabling players and increasing the number of more casual one-table players at each table.
"This should lead to increased win rates on any individual table for the strongest players, while increasing the likelihood that single-table players will meet others like themselves. As a result, they’ll have more chance of experiencing winning sessions and continue to play in the longer term."
Howls of Protest From Forums
Multi-tabling has played a big role in the building of online poker legends and lore. Players like Hevad "RaiNKhaN" Khan and Randy "nanonoko" Lew gained fame with their ability to play huge numbers of tables at once. Iron man prop bets were contested, such as when Joey Ingram played 50,000 hands in a single day.
As part of the fabric of online poker, indeed one of the core draws of online poker for some, the drastic policy change was predictably shouted down by many on TwoPlusTwo. One poster said the full ring games had become a ghost town with only two games running above $0.5/$1.
"We understand that this change will have a very real impact on many players, particularly those of you who rely on multi-tabling as professionals."
The operator may be hoping to push players up in stakes so that newer players in the small-stakes pools don't have to contend with as many regulars. Perhaps that will be an option players are more likely to consider with the newly revealed "all-in cashout" option.
Either way, the change comes at a very interesting junction for the worldwide online poker leader, after a recent reveal that revenue numbers have taken a hit with stock values dipping in corresponding fashion. Coming months and future revenue numbers will be monitored here on PokerNews as the consequences of this huge change reveal themselves down the road.
The Stars Group owns a majority shareholding in iBus Media.
