Rumors of 2 out of the 7 players as prop players so far. Good times.

It's all over at Real Deal Poker. Site closed, players asked to cash out. A shame really, as it was an interesting idea.

"This closure is being done in an effort to restructure the business, create a more viable and active site, make some necessary changes to the software platform, and reopen in a matter of weeks with a more vibrant site that we think you will find more appealing. "

Sounds like they plan to reopen though. So, the fun might not be over just yet.

fyp. Like a lot of people around here, I'd love to play on a site marketed to riggies. But considering the way they executed, vis a vis this forum, I wouldn't trust them with a dime.

Maybe they'll do it right this time. There is a market niche for something like this, and for those who will play just because that niche is playing there too.

They got a lot of good advice and criticism on these forums, amid all the ribbing and ridicule.

Riggies are simply not a significant market to go after other than as a byproduct of what should have been a much more tongue in cheek approach to it. Riggies in general have little money and are never happy because every site eventually appears to be rigged to them.

Their name of Real Deal poker is fine, and if they develop some other form of random generator they can pitch that a bit, but their approach should be simply a marketing approach that their site offers the real game even if it is not much different (because techie nits analyzing their matrix are equally not very significant in terms of capturing marketshare).

They try to appeal to riggies perhaps with some goofy promos like aces cracked ones (where if you lose with them you enter the hand number into a random draw for a prize) or even further you can have various freerolls where people can enter based on using aces and kings cracked tokens.

Goofy stuff like that where they are there to help right the wrong of evil math for those who get it in good.

Similarly appeal to better players by highlighting how they are also trying to appeal to riggie donks, and approach the serious poker community in a way that includes them in the idea making instead of the silly shills and yelling they did instead.

Will it work? Probably not because the market is very, very mature, but maybe there would be some glimmer of hope instead of this disaster they did instead.

Just for the record:

It's been stated many times in this thread already, but I'll say it again: The problem with targeting riggies is that they are not as good at poker as they think they are. As soon as they lose money at RDP, the majority of them will cry foul there as well.

Gene needs to find somebody who is respected in the industry and pay them money to tell him what to do.

I really think that allowing Stephen Meares to shill for them and putting his manifesto on their site was a huge mistake.

Smearesy was a prick and making him your spokesperson - or just allowing him to speak for you - pretty much makes you a prick by association. Then Gene came here and did nothing but cement that impression.

I did offer to send him my resume early last year. Maybe he makes me an offer I can't refuse?

I don't actually think this did that much one way or the other as the concept as created and marketed was pretty much doomed to failure. Even if they went about it with a more clever, fun approach (with shills and all) the reality is with the market as mature as it is most new rooms do not stand a chance unless they can actually develop something that is completely innovative (like Rush Poker for instance).

The riggie stuff will be a gimmick at best that might attract attention that in theory may help a little, but in the end the product has to be something that stands out and nothing about Real Deal Poker did that.

The Mears stuff did not cost them any business, the problem is that it didn't generate any either.

I agree. If and a big if is if they CAN come up with something innovative.

I disagree. IMO it alienated everyone here and pretty much guaranteed they'd never be taken seriously.

Their concept of "real" poker however it is marketed will never be taken seriously here, nor should it. Twoplustwo members can't be their target market and riggies are too small to make them the primary target, so the best approach could have been a tongue in cheek approach to the whole thing and that has to be from start to end for all the people there.

Twoplustwo members still would laugh and not take it seriously, but they might try it if they attracted enough players (again doubtful)

The Mears guy did not matter in and by himself, the problem was he was an extension of a flawed business plan that took the rigged thing in a genuine manner, and that may work for an affiliate site at best but not for an actual poker room.

"Tired of trusting an RNG? Play here, where we use real cards for our bad beats!"

I'm not sure making humor out of it will work either because their audience (and their founder) are true believers.

I don't know. The idea to give out tokens or something when your AA or KK gets cracked has some marketing potential. Plus it makes it a little bit more valuable to set mine because some idiot is going to think "well even if he has me beat I'll at least get a token". Which generates bigger pots. Which generates more rake. Which pays for the token tournaments or whatever they do with them.

Maybe make some sort of "unluckiest player of the month" award. Goes to the player who loses the most big blinds (to let any stakes compete) vs. their all in equity. Put up like $1,000 a month and it might not seem so bad to be doom switched.

Basically create a lot of promotions like that to make the donks not feel so bad about losing.

Man their 5 players are going to be MAD.

I hope the site comes back because this is one of my favorite 2p2 threads...

Got an email the other day telling me they was closing the site for a while. Also said I need to withdraw any funds I had in there. Got payment through today.

Dear paul,

Thank you for playing at REALDEALPOKER.

I am glad to inform you that we have received and processed your MONEYBOOKERS withdrawal of EUR 176.59 , with transaction ID *******.

MONEYBOOKERS Account: paul*****@*******.com

The funds are now available in your MONEYBOOKERS account.

Please be aware that payments to and from your REALDEALPOKER Player account will list Gioia International ltd as the payment initiator.

For any queries or concerns please contact us at support@realdealpoker.com. We are available to you 24 hours, everyday.

Good luck at the tables!

Kind regards,

Pauline
Your REALDEALPOKER Cashier

You are receiving this message because you registered an account or expressed an interest in REALDEALPOKER.
If you wish to be taken off our periodic mailings, simply reply to this message and type 'Remove' in the subject line.
If you have any questions please contact us at: support@realdealpoker.com.



Say what you want about the way they have marketed the site and how people on 2+2 perceive them, at least they haven't done what some of the shady online websites have done when they have run into difficulties and just legged it with all the cash.

It must have been so tempting to just walk off with all 17 bankrolls.

Another attempt at humour failed Wiki, well done!! Clearly there was never gonna be big money to walk off with as they only ever really got low and micro stakes tables going. I put your comment down to you being your usual self, a complete arse!

Don't get yourself in a fix.

I have been told that bankrolls are being returned just as promised and to be honest I do feel sorry for this situation.

Gene did have a good idea he just allowed the likes of Tom Dwyer and his marketing people to go nuts by the looks of things!

This site truely offered something different and its a shame it didnt take off.

now that they're closed, can we count on you not making anymore RDP spam posts?

For what it's worth: they actually paid my (small) remaining balance to NETELLER eight days after I requested the cashout.

Thread will outlast RD 2 to 1

Thread will outperform RD 3 to 1

RD will profit 20 to 1

RD will be known for its innovation in online poker [insert random number] to 1