2012 Poker Preview - Will The Challenge Return?

Well, 2012 should be the year we see Full Tilt back. Whether the Durrrr Challenge resumes is another matter completely, it was not exactly getting itself momentum before our favourite poker site imploded.

Anyway, this post looks forward a little to 2012. Some Reviews, bonus code pages and a generally upbeat look at what might lay ahead.

First up, if you want the latest bonus codes, coupon codes and marketing codes for the new year then this is the article to head for over at Killer Holdem. The key codes are there along with some great special offers which can get you off to a flying start at some of the biggest and best online poker rooms. There is a $11 SNG token which is also good for US readers and a $20 extra cash boost for non-US readers… both of these are at well known leading poker sites – no not some dodgy half baked incentive to have you sign up at an unknown new poker room or anything!

What About The Sites In 2012?

I have been getting a little concerned lately that Pokerstars are getting too big for the overall good of online poker. At the same time I love this site and have had an account there since 2005… so it is not just a negative feeling. With one site so much bigger than all of the others it seems a little unhealthy for poker as a whole… sure, Party and Titan (iPoker) do a decent enough job of catching up, however they just can not match the financial power of the promotions offered by Pokerstars. Anyway, I have articulated my thoughts on this a little more clearly in an article at SNG Planet which looks at some Great Alternatives To Pokerstars.

In other news, the merger of the affiliate programs of Bwin and Party is causing some people to speculate that their poker rooms will soon also merge together. This will certainly make the new room bigger than the current number 2 (Titan / iPoker). I am expecting the Party Poker brand to stay, after all this is the brand which is really well known among those people who have not yet played online poker… where as bwin is better known as a sports-betting brand.

Facebook also announced they might be getting involved in online poker, starting in the UK. It is not known what form this might take (maybe just to allow people to play at the existing rooms via their facebook accounts). We will have to see on this one… though it does seem interesting times are ahead.

Finally some news from the US. Where the DoJ (Department of Justice) ruled that the Wire Act of 1961 only applies to sports betting and not to poker, lottery etc. This is interesting news in that in taking away a barrier for the individual states to pool together their players, we might see a federal bill rushed through to ‘beat the states’ to it… anyway this is just my interpretation / idea – we will have to keep those eyes open and see what happens as they year gets going.

Cheers!

Alternatives To Full Tilt Poker – OnGame’s Red Kings Poker

All quiet on the news-front on Full Tilt as of December 2011… Our best guess is that the discussions are continuing and that we can hope for an announcement in the new year. In the meantime, I thought I’d use the holiday season to highlight one of my favourite sites as a great alternative to Full Tilt Poker for players outside of the US. For players inside the US, I’ll do a follow-up shortly and post it right here. In the meantime you can check out this page on SNG Planet for the latest news on US-friendly poker sites.

Alternative To Full Tilt Poker – Red Kings

So, what is so great about Red Kings? Well – a lot of things actually! This site is on the excellent OnGame network. I rate this network highly for several reasons…. The main one being the very soft poker games you will find there. The reason is simple, this network is shared by several big brands who are actually bigger in the sports-betting world than poker – they use the shared network software to create ‘Poker Arms’ of their main brands. This ensures a ton of traffic coming from the betting sites, people who have money to gamble with… though not too much in the way of poker experience!

You got it… this keeps the OnGame tables soft and friendly!

Red Kings are a premier member of this network. They are the only site I know of who actually offer a choice of 6 different sign-up bonuses to new players, and they have some of the best promotions on the network too. Best of all is their special promo which gives you an extra $300 bonus the first time you are dealt the two red kings in a cash game… this goes up to $500 if you lose with them!!

Check out Red Kings Poker for yourself via this link now!

Their software comes in several formats and is available for Mobile, Mac and Linux users – as well as the standard PC download. With a cool game selection and some big money tournaments you will find a game to profit from fast.

If I have one BIG recommendation this holiday season, it is to get off of your butts, away from all the other experienced players at Pokerstars and find yourself a more profitable home in time for 2012. Red Kings are the best candidate for that new home – and one look at the games will be enough to convince you that I am right!!

Click this link to check out Red Kings Poker for yourself now!