PokerStars is the clear-cut #1 online poker room in the world, with average traffic numbers that dwarf their competitors so much that they are measured exponentially, with PokerStars having over seven-times the traffic as the current #2 online poker room, Party Poker. However, once you get passed PokerStars the competition gets extremely fierce, and according to PokerScout.com the next three rooms/networks are running neck-and-neck for the #2 spot behind PokerStars: Party Poker, iPoker, and Full Tilt Poker.
Prior to the relaunch of Full Tilt Poker in November of 2012 it appeared that Party Poker was distancing itself from iPoker, but with Full Tilt Poker back in the mix this trend was stopped dead in its tracks, and it seemed as though Full Tilt Poker would simply fall back into the #2 spot it held behind PokerStars prior to Black Friday. But Full Tilt’s traffic numbers have been increasingly inconsistent since its relaunch, and the migration of bwin players to Party Poker, as well as the iPoker Network adding a number of relevant skins like Everest Poker, Ladbrokes, and Dusk Till Dawn in recent months, has seen the race tighten between the three.
The battle has seen all three companies hold the #2 ranking at some point in the past year, and the latest traffic numbers show one of the tightest bunching of the three entities in months, with Party Poker’s seven-day rolling average at 3,300, iPoker’s at 3,200, and Full Tilt Poker’s at 3,050 (as of March 19, 2013).
Party Poker Traffic Trends
Party Poker’s traffic is up over the past six months according to PokerScout.com’s data, but recent changes to the site’s VIP Program and stakes offered, as well as the decision to segregate certain tables –cutting off winning players from sitting at these “beginner” tables—has sent traffic numbers down in the past month, after traffic had hit a recent high at nearly 4,000 players.
iPoker Traffic Trends
iPoker has been the most consistent of the three rooms, with a six-month traffic graph that any rakeback grinder would be proud of. Currently traffic is at a six-month high and the network continues to trend upward.
Full Tilt Poker Traffic Trends
Since relaunch Full Tilt Poker has seen traffic numbers as high as 8,000 players and as low as their current number of just over 3,000. My feeling is that this trend of peaks and valleys will continue as Full Tilt runs its seasonal poker tournament series the FTOPS (which just got underway) and occasional promotions that draw in players.
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