With all of the news breaking in the Poker world, one of the biggest stories is the reemergence of PokerRoom. As anyone who played online poker pre UIGEA will remember, PokerRoom was one of the biggest and most reputable sites around. They were one of the first to offer real cash poker games and provided Mac compatibility.
All of the talk originated from a Tweet from bwin SEO manager Josef Rantamäki. Rantamäki said that PokerRoom was set to once again offer cash games. This created quite the buzz in the poker world. Rantamäki soon took to Twitter again and recanted his original statement. However, many thought that this was a publicity maneuver.
The question then is what is the reason for all the activity. The fact is that PokerRoom has set up a new Website, a new Facebook, and also a new Twitter. All of these things would seem pointless if they were not planning on reentering the market.
It seems obvious at this point that PokerRoom is going to reopen. The details of the launch are still vague. Some people are saying that PokerRoom is relaunching in order to make the Ongame network more attractive to potential buyers. Others suggest that a larger goal is on the horizon.
When UIGEA hit in 2006, PokerRoom voluntary withdrew from the U.S. market. This was a decision that ended up causing the company to fold in later years due to lack traffic. However, in retrospect it might have been a fantastic decision. When the U.S. legislation passes and the market is reopened to online companies, PokerRoom will be in a great spot to gain a huge market share.
After Black Friday, the sites that were serving U.S. customers fell apart (Full Tilt, AP and UB) or else were forced to restrict all U.S. players. The belief is that PokerStars is not going to be allowed back into the U.S. market. If this is true, then the playing field is going to be wide open.
PokerRoom has a great name simply due to its SEO qualities. When new players search for an online poker room it is the first result. Those players who are aware of the company are going to be ecstatic at being able to choose a site that has a history of providing quality service and good games.
