I'd only played on the big 2 until recently, and the whole concept of networks and skins is confusing to me. In particular if I could get answers to the following I'd be grateful. I'll use Merge as an example.

1. Do all players who are registered with a Merge skin (say Carbon) play with or "see" all other players who registered at any Merge skin (Carbon plus all other Merge skins) at the same time? If not what are the exceptions?

2. Do all Merge skins use the same software apart from branding/themes?

3. What is the rationale from the network and skin owners' perspective for having a network with skins as opposed to just a single site like PS and FT?

1: Yes for Merge as far as I know. At other networks this can be different.

2: I think so but I think Carbon is always the first with new updates.

3: It is not easy to become a big pokersite. I think the last site that was standalone and launched successfully on the market was PKR.com in 2007. A network that handles customer support, security and financial stuff is obv way cheaper then 100 skins handling them all differently. There are some skins tho that choose to do their own financial processing anf/or have additional support. As a skin owner 'all' you have to do is to get the players in. If you find a niche you can jump into it and start raking in the money. Redstar poker on cake is obv aimed at russians, lock poker is/was aimed at mac players for example.

There is an exception. Carbon has some step program the other sites do not have. Hero has this freeroll the others don't. Not sure about the other skins. But generally a site can have certain tourneys that are limited to that particular skin. Check it out before you make a decision.

Post all of questions here, they will get answered.
(RPM's 2+2 Sponsored Forum)
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/143/rpm-poker/

How I do I transfer my money from Carbon onto RPM?

Directly through you.

Carbon to you and you to RPM.

You don't. Can't transfer between skins. Basically you have to withdraw and redeposit onto another skin.

That sucks. So I have to wait 7+ weeks to get my money off of Carbon.

Thanks. I thought of another question:

4. Can a person have an account at more than one skin on a network? If so can he have different nicknames on different skins?

Yes, 1 account per skin obv, but you can have more accounts at the same network.

Some Networks place a restriction on the number of accounts you can have on different skins.

For example Boss (IPN) Network restrict you to having accounts on 4 different skins.

Merge Network has no restriction on the number of skins you can have accounts on but only one of them can receive rakeback at a time.

with different nicknames on each skin?

yea you can't have the same name on each skin, it has to be a unique name on each one.

u mean like bonuswhoring big time?

You can only have rakeback on one skin at a time though

And obv. you can only play on one skin at a time.

.....so....assuming your on the same "network", are players with different "skins", playing against each other at the same table ?? And when I see that Black Chip Poker (for example), currently has 10,000 players on-line......that really means 10,000 on the Merge Network ??

Yes

Why is this obvious? Couldn't I log on to my accounts on Carbon and Hero and play different tables on each?

You mean you want the software to allow players to collude with themself?

Chip dump to themself in a tournie etc......?

I don't think he wants it to be allowed, he's just asking why/how it's not possible.

Some networks stop you from opening more than one version of the client. I know iPoker does this, and I seem to recall that Merge does as well.

[QUOTE=Bobo Fett;26630149]I don't think he wants it to be allowed, he's just asking why/how it's not possible.


[QUOTE]

Yeah, sorry. I was being sarcastic.

Sorry to bump a semi-old thread, but is this information correct? And if so, why is that?