haven't been on merge for almost a year, just saw the vip program changes. does anyone even have the "elite" vip level? no wonder even bovada is #1 in the current US poker climate

That is awesome if fish are willing to add to the prize pool with virtually no chance of winning don't you think?

Other posters have addressed your highly flawed logic already, so I'd like to add that:

1) In the past it was possible to get the casino games inside the client excluded

2) Insofar as the other casino games, it was also possible in the past to have your betting limits reduced down to $1 maximum.

3) I presume that these policies are still in effect as I've heard nothing to the contrary.


I believe that two posters in this thread have stated that they are in the Elite tier.



--
Kahn

Why not just name names? I'm guessing my name will come up, at which point I will tell you that you are wrong and I am not an affiliate.

Jeez, just google it. It takes two seconds. Here's a quote from the affiliate program.

That doesn't prove anything, only what they were making with an outdated system. How can you be 100% certain they are making the same with the new system?

No, Carbon affiliates are not getting screwed, they are earning more now due to the elimination of promotions towards players. The only ones getting screwed are the players. Do not feel sorry for the affiliates. It's not to hard to sign up a new player every two months.

WTF? Facts confuse you?

I do feel bad for affiliates. They get screwed to.

I think we all know who the affiliates are and who their friends are.

They only get screwed if the players they sign up for quit the network. Their players probably should quit these Merge network skins. So I guess if players use their head and leave when they get screwed, then in turn the affiliates get screwed. However, it's never the affiliates 40% that get's cut back from what I can see. All the Merge cutbacks have been from the players end of promotions and VIP programs. Merge simply overpays affiliates and therefore needs to screw the players themselves to subsidize their out of touch affiliate program.

The solution is simple, screw the affiliates for the benefit of the players. I would come back to Merge if they did that. Why you would feel bad for affiliates is beyond my level of comprehension. I guess you just have a soft heart and feel it's an affiliates right to get that 40% of your rake for a lifetime. Yes, I know, Merge deducts player expenses from that 40%, poor affiliates.

side track a bit. WAQQAW wins every HS mtt. hes on the right side of variance at the moment for sure: 378 games played at 255% ROI in 2013 for a $118k profit LOL. whos this dood? hes so mysterious....

Ummm...... Merge just slapped you (took down 2+2 forum), then bent you over HARD (lower % cash back) and now you want to know if they will kiss you???

lololololololololololol

I think he is asking for a reach around. A kiss might be back to 19%, but 25% is probably a dream.

That accusations thing someone was talking about earlier... you might want to keep that in mind.

Synergistic Explosions - Affiliates are not really getting 40% at Carbon. They take money right off the top even if it does not apply to the player(s) on the affiliate account, like processing fees. It is more like 35% before any other deductions. After deductions it is probably comparable to Bovada.

You don't like affiliates and I understand that stance. There are some out there that don't add any value to the poker world and even take some away. OTOH affiliate money pays for a lot of services that would disappear without it, but that is an entirely different discussion.

I don't think affiliates are too pleased with Carbon either.

ChipSplit Closed My Account (Under RetroActive Terms Change?)

Unfortunately, I feel that US players outside of regulated states are going to have a lot to complain about in the near future.

Disclaimer: Not an affiliate but many of my customers are.

Late registration into the money bubble is a joke and not a real poker tournament. If you are trying to attract recreational players, these player who do not know any better to not buy in for 2 or 3 big blinds will go broke quicker than anyone.

Why does this have to be so hard? Run cash games and tournaments the way they have always been run. Surely if a brick and motor casino can turn a profit with all the overhead, online poker can also.

Collect enough rake minus expenses to make a decent living. Stop with paying all the endorsements (to some sites), stop with gimmicks and lets just play poker.

Why do these poker sites always tinker and mess up with what could be a very easy formula?

I will give someone smarter and wealthier than me a million dollar idea. A player owned non profit poker website. Take your disclosed salary, pay the support staff salaries and that is it.

10% minus expenses is not a high profit margin but I would gladly take it especially if the volume is high.

They weren't to pleased with Carbon until Carbon Atil posted:

Now affiliates are jumping with joy knowing their lifetime agreements are set in stone. I'm not sure what you were trying to tell me? Affiliates are getting screwed too? No, they are not. They are set for a lifetime and that's what they want from the players they sign.

Who cares though, right? What did you mean by players are going to have a lot more to complain about in the near future? That's interesting, coming from someone of your stature.

Is that where you stopped reading? Maybe the thread has a different meaning to me from my POV.

IMO each poker room that still takes US players is going to take the mentality of a sports book that offers poker, not a poker room mentality like one held by PokerStars. Carbon Poker looks like it has already switched to this mentality.

No, I read all 26 replies. What meaning did you get from it that Atil didn't reply to?

Well, they've been offering blackjack, video poker, slots, etc for many years. What's the big deal about offering sportsbooks then? Your odds are better at betting sports than playing in their blackjack or slots casino. I don't think American players view sportsbooks as a problem at this stage. Casino games are a much bigger problem, and they've existed for many years on Carbon.

One more thing.

Since i have given up on tournaments i just was looking for a NL cash game. I found one table that was not running with 14 people waiting for a game. If you running a business how is there not a pop up that says "your table is ready click here within one minute to claim your seat?"

Nope just keep 14 people waiting not starting the game.

Sounds like merge and carbon have issues. Is it safe/worth it to deposit? Many red flags all seem to point to a unanimous NO.

The one thing that Carbon has done consistently is pay its players, not sure what you are referring to about pointy red flags, assuming you're US based still a great option imo

he wins 3k per mtt ha, seems absurd. I knew he had a great track record but this is a bit over the top; to be making that much on merge. house account obv

There is no need not to deposit, you aren't taking any more risk than you ever were.