Players Separated into Two Distinct Pools at Merge Poker Network

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Friday, May 24th, 2013 | Written by Charles Washington

While no official confirmation has come from Merge, multiple sources have confirmed that the Merge Poker Network has been split into two separate player pools.

How is the network divided?

Pool one is made up of customers of Sportsbook.com and PlayersOnly, along with a handful of associated sportsbook sites such as Linesmaker. Pool two consists of Carbon Poker, Aced and all other Merge Poker skins.

The two pools do not appear to be completely separate. Cash games are divided, as are SNG tournaments. The one area where it appears the pools have not been split is MTT play.

However, without an official announcement from Merge, it’s hard to know whether this is the permanent policy or if the network is simply introducing the new policy in stages.

What is clear: Cash games players at Sportsbook.com see a completely different set of tables than poker players at Carbon Poker, even though both players are still on the Merge Poker Network.

Latest in string of developments at Merge

The Merge Network has undergone a significant transformation in the last year. Poker-focused skins have shut down in droves, with notable rooms like RPM Poker and FeltStars closing their doors in recent months. Many more skins consolidated in the wake of what were reportedly tougher policies at the network level regarding revenue sharing, deductions and custom promotions.

Those closings and consolidations have come at a cost. Traffic at the Merge Network, which was for a brief time the busiest US-facing online poker site in the world, has fallen off of a cliff since 2012. The network now sites behind Bovada and even the oft-troubled Revolution Network on the traffic charts.

That position should slide even further in the weeks ahead as players adjust to the new segregated games. With less action – and presumably fewer weak players – in Pool 2, it certainly makes sense to anticipate a significant traffic drop in the weeks to come.

Not a skill-based segregation

This policy should not be confused with other player segregation policies at rooms like Party Poker. Party’s policy is focused on separating players in one pool to varying degrees based on experience and skill level.

The policy at Merge doesn’t make any judgement or evaluation of the individual player. The only thing that determines what player pool you’ll be placed in at Merge is the skin you use to access the network.

One piece of good news for players: The Merge Network does allow you to have multiple accounts under certain conditions, so you should be able to try both player pools to see which you prefer. The common thought is that the Sportsbook.com player pool will be softer, but until the dust settles a bit on the separation it will be difficult to get an accurate feel for the competitive differences between the two player pools.