US Offshore Poker Site MTT Profit | Loss Report (August 2014)
In this report, ProfRB.com compiles monthly data on all US-facing online poker rooms in terms of whether or not their multi-table tournament schedule produces a profit, or a loss of money. This report includes US-facing online poker rooms Bovada, Bodog, Ignition (Pai Wang Luo Network), Carbon Poker (Merge Network), ACR Poker (Winning Poker Network), Intertops and Juicy Stakes (Revolution Network), Pokerhost and Full Flush Poker (Equity Poker Network), and BetOnline Poker (Chico Network)
Every US-friendly poker site or network offers players a daily MTT schedule - we track tournaments with guarantees of $1,000 to $5,000 and higher - and we take player totals from these tournaments to determine if the room or network makes or loses money on each event. While most in the iGaming world feel that tournaments are 'loss leaders' and a minute fraction of a gaming company's overall bottom line, one can tell by the data presented in our reports how strong (or not as strong) that US offshore poker sites and networks are at bringing players to their games.
The figures we report do not include freeroll or tournament ticket entries into these MTT's, so the numbers you see below are what we call "precise estimates". To see each individual US-facing online poker room's tournament schedule, full results, the amount of overlays they produce, prize pools, and more, check out our MTT Overlay and Player Traffic reports here.
AUGUST 2014 PROFIT | LOSS REPORT
TOURNAMENT TRACKING RANGE: All MTT's with GTD of $5,000 and higher
Monday through Friday MTT schedule (July; 23 days recorded): $302,060 profit
Saturday MTT schedule (July; 4 days): $68,558 profit
Sunday MTT schedule (July; 4 days recorded): $167,142 profit
Summer Million Poker Open series (July, 73 events): $139,718
JULY 2014 TOTAL: $677,478 profit (+$222,550 from June)
Aided by a healthy Summer Million Poker Open tournament series and a rise in player traffic after the Independence Day holiday, Bovada did some solid business last month after a slow June. Though most offshore poker sites saw their MTT profits take a hit in summer's early days, Bovada was able to return to relatively normal levels of profit churning thanks to a powerful schedule with no less than 132 events with guarantees of $5,000 or higher each week. So despite some dips in historically slow stretches of the year, it's more of the same from the uncontested #1 option for US players. The machine keeps operating, and the profits keep coming in.
TOURNAMENT TRACKING RANGE: All MTT's with GTD of $4,000 and higher
Monday through Friday MTT schedule (July; 23 days recorded): $136,639 profit
Saturday MTT schedule (July; 4 days): $20,065 profit
Sunday MTT schedule (July; 4 days recorded): $92,298 profit
JULY 2014 TOTAL: $249,002 profit (+$76,420 from June)
Another month and another increase in tournament profits for the Merge Gaming Network, which saw a particular surge of revenue on their Monday to Friday offerings. Only six overlays occurred in 138 work week MTT's, with average prize pools meeting and surpassing their stated guarantees with regularity. It's a welcome sign of stability after a bit of a rocky start to 2014, with Merge's flagship poker site Carbon Poker now firmly positioned as the leading room on the second best option among offshore US-facing operations. Add to the mix the upcoming Carbon OPS, slated to begin in September, and the makings are there for a strong end of summer leading into a stronger fall season.
TOURNAMENT TRACKING RANGE: All MTT's with GTD of $2,000 and higher
Monday through Friday MTT schedule (July; 23 days recorded): $48,673 profit
Saturday MTT schedule (July; 4 days): $6,532 profit
Sunday MTT schedule (July; 4 days recorded): $46,936 profit
JULY 2014 TOTAL: $102,141 profit (+$77,514 from June)
After a rather sluggish start to the year, the Winning Poker Network made their best month in terms of profits for 2014 with over $100,000 earned in July. Overlays have finally tempered after a spring season where most if not all of their $2,000 GTD and up events were bleeding money. It presented a lot of added value to players in the form of overlays - but after a late spring adjustment to the tournament schedule, things have stabilized and look poised to grow heading into the home stretch of summer. Which ultimately is what players want to see; competition among US options is needed and with WPN (thanks to their leading room ACR Poker) now on firmer financial ground in terms of their tournament schedule, the sky is literally the limit. And they are aiming for it, as they will be holding a $1,000,000 guaranteed event in December. Player traffic figures to steadily rise in the months leading up to this historic tournament.
TOURNAMENT TRACKING RANGE: All MTT's with GTD of $1,000 and higher
Monday through Friday MTT schedule (July; 23 days recorded): $3,868 profit
Saturday MTT schedule (July; 4 days): $320 loss
Sunday MTT schedule (July; 4 days recorded): $2,759 profit
JULY 2014 TOTAL: $6,307 profit (+$6,059 from June)
Even Intertops and Juicy Stakes, the only ProfRB.com recommended online poker rooms on the Revolution Network, saw their profits increase in July thanks to steady traffic after the US Independence Day holiday. These poker sites continue to offer players a comparatively light multi-table tournament schedule, with their Sunday $10,000 guaranteed major MTT anchoring the offerings. Their daily events consist of several $1,000 guaranteed tournaments, with buy-ins between $16.50 and $27.50. Still giving MTT grinders opportunities for decent paydays while offering a smaller player field range, both Intertops (invite only for US players) and Juicy Stakes (available to most Americans) remain desirable destinations in the offshore US poker site marketplace.
TOURNAMENT TRACKING RANGE: All MTT's with GTD of $1,000 and higher
Monday through Friday MTT schedule (July; 23 days recorded): $883 profit
Saturday MTT schedule (July; 4 days): $1,708 profit
Sunday MTT schedule (July; 4 days recorded): $2,611 profit
JULY 2014 TOTAL: $5,202 profit (N/A from June; debuted, partial data on last month's report)
BetOnline, the leading room on the Chico Network, debuted on our report last month with a partial accounting of tournament profits. Though the few days we recorded were losing days in terms of revenue, BetOnline righted things in July with a profitable month led by larger events on the weekends. We expect them to remain competitive with Intertops and Juicy Stakes in terms of MTT offerings and revenue, though BetOnline does give players a few more 'juicy' events such as $3,000 and $5,000 guaranteed MTT's a few times a week.
TOURNAMENT TRACKING RANGE: All MTT's with GTD of $1,000 and higher
Monday through Friday MTT schedule (July; 23 days recorded): $15,464 loss
Saturday MTT schedule (July; 4 days): $11,835 loss
Sunday MTT schedule (July; 4 days recorded): $7,602 loss
JULY 2014 TOTAL: $34,901 loss (-$14,735 from June)
And finally, we come to one of the more misleading accounts of a network's viability. The Equity Poker Network, led by Full Flush Poker and Pokerhost, have been undeterred with losing money as they have continually raised tournament guarantees at the first signs of bringing in enough players to reach them! Meaning once a tournament starts to hit its stated prize pool, they raise them up. This has been their modus operandi for months, and while it may mean red ink in the short term, player traffic continues to steadily increase on a week to week basis. Added value opportunities in the form of overlays are rampant, and ProfRB.com highly recommends players get in on the 'ground floor' while these events remain relatively small in terms of player fields compared to other US offshore poker sites. Eventually, the break even point will be reached. But one thing is certain - this network is making a splash in the online poker world, and their long-term viability belies their current profit situation.