Have you ever wondered why Party Poker, Ultimate Bet, Pacific, Paradise and all the rest of them don't offer their own poker calculator software? Well, yes money is at the root of it, but perception is the face of it. You see, the most successful poker websites have a lot of rake at stake, and the perception of one player having a distinct advantage over another could literally mean the loss of millions in an amazingly short amount of time. (Think on the level of a restaurant being investigated for food poisoning.) In fact, a good deal of Big Poker Site's budget is now allocated to fairness of play, and security for that very reason.
Now does that mean you could be banned, penalized, or accused of cheating at your favorite poker website? Save for using a select few programs, this won't happen because while Big Poker Site is representing one thing - security and fairness, they are covertly supporting that very advantage as an additional revenue stream. Let me explain.
There are a dozen or more new poker sites jumping into this business every month! But Big Poker Site really likes the oligopoly as it is, and is getting very, very aggressive at attracting and retaining the base. Have you not noticed Big Poker Site giving away bonuses, points, entries, and yes, even direct deposits into your old account that's been dormant for months? Add to this, an intricate affiliate marketing system that basically enlists an army of online marketers. Oh, and among those affiliates - are the programmers or marketers of most online poker calculators available right now. So, Big Site won't be caught dead in bed with an online poker calculator, but it will take money from them. How? By paying commissions and rake percentage to those very poker calculator businesses to bring Big Poker Site even more players. Yes, again money is at the root of it.
Check on my website for all the poker calculators and see how many you can purchase by simply paying credit or pay pal. I'll save you the time. 80% require you to open an account at Big Poker Site using their affiliate sign-up process. That's the only way you can get the software. Why? It's because Big Poker Site is actually paying poker calculator marketers more than they could earn by selling it to you outright. Yes, more.
The marketers get a cut of your initial deposit and then a cut of your rake contribution for a predetermined number of hands played over a specified time period. Which, by the very nature of poker newbies will always be an attractive number. Good for the marketer. Good for Big Poker Site. In this way they can make it very difficult for an upstart to get a foothold in the market place. As a result, in the near future I predict that at least one of the Big Poker Sites and several new upstarts will be offering their own poker calculator software in the face of marketing distinction and pure survival. That's business. Poker business.
Martin Smith is webmaster of http://www.PokerCalculatorReport.com where all the online poker calculators are tested and reviewed, including Sit and Go Shark, Calculatem Pro, Holdem Genius and Poker Spy.
