In an app world dominated by Zynga Poker, PokerStars launched its beta version of their new Facebook poker app. It is still in beta therefore the downloadable version is not yet available and is also not for sale to the public.
PokerStars had nearly 50 million registered players in the beginning of 2012 making it the largest online poker card room in the world. It first launched a beta version that featured play money in September but eventually led to real money games in December 2001.
Initially, it was a company based out of Costa Rica but it moved to the Isle of Man. The reason for the move was due to the 0% corporate tax rate and there are also no rules keeping companies from having casino and poker bettors from the USA.
PokerStars has the most number of poker games online, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Five Card Draw and many more. The 2003 World Series of Poker whose champion was Chris Moneymaker was also the product of PokerStars. This began the so-called boom of the poker business in the mid-2000’s, which was referred to by the press as the “Moneymaker Effect”
Since Facebook has been accepting real money online gambling, this could be the reason why PokerStars decided to launch their beta version. If things work out, this could mean a much greater audience for them.
The app is not a real money poker app, however it will allow users to join in any money poker games found in their regular online poker software. They can use it as ticket to join cash games and tournaments as well as Zoom Poker games. Having an existing PokerStars.net account will allow the user to log into the Facebook app using the same credentials.
Apps may seem like all fun and games, however look for PokerStars to make serious revenue from this application. The same way that Zynga does it, users will have to purchase items for in-game use and PokerStars will gain revenue through those micro-transactions. These transactions will enable the players to purchase additional chips or accessories for their avatars.
Similar to other applications in Facebook, users can look forward to additional social gaming elements such as experience points, which allows the player to level up. All these achievements can be shared with their friends and posted on their walls just like any other apps on the social networking site, which will allow the user to compare stats with other players online
Some say that this can also be a move made by PokerStars to establish a head-to-head rivalry with Zynga. Regardless of what the case may be, variety is always something good and that is exactly what they’re providing.
