Introduction
The online poker industry began in the middle of the 1990’s and since then it has steadily grown to reach its current state in which there are thousands of poker rooms to choose form. There are plenty of individual poker rooms and many poker networks, as well.
But do you know what actually the poker network is? Well, the name is pretty self-explanatory. That is a group of several online poker rooms, which are connected in a network – in other words, they share the same players and the same software. That way the network can keep active multiple tables at many different sites. A poker room that is within a poker network is called a skin. In addition, each skin has a unique logo and color scheme.
The poker network is a specific poker software by some company, which poker sites can use. It helps different brands to get new players.
What are their benefits?
Well, by using a poker network with multiple poker rooms the casinos can fill the tables easier and can give each player the best shot at winning the jackpot. Also, the rooms in the network are standardized – this means that they are with the same look and feel. Thus, you will feel comfortable in any room of the network. The lobby will look the same in any skin. That way all players have the same options and features giving all of them an equal start.
Why do poker sites choose to be part of a network?
Developing your own poker site consumes not only a lot of time but lots of money, as well. Thus, if a poker site does not have enough money to make their own poker software it can choose to become part of a network which is much easier.
Some sites have tried to operate on their own but have had limited success or have failed completely and, as a consequence, they have decided to join a poker network to gain access to more clients and, thus, keep themselves on the winning side. After all, it is not easy to attract enough players even if you have quite a good software. The players will not stick for long to a poker site if there are not empty places in the poker tables or if there are not enough other players to play with.
That is one of the hardest things when operating a poker site – to keep the tables busy. This is another reasons why poker sites join a network – to give their players access to poker tables which are shared by multiple sites. This leads to more traffic and the sites do not have to worry if their tables are busy enough and now they can focus more on how to attract new players and to keep their existing customers.
The difference among the various skins of the same network
Well, first, the skins can differ graphically due to being able to use their own color schemes and branding. In addition, the bonuses may be different in the various skins. Customer service is another thing that can differ. Thus, research the various skins for a while to find which is the best one to play on.