Online gaming firm Bodog announced last week that it is set to launch the “Anonymous Poker Series,” a hybrid live/online poker tournament series centered around the Bodog Poker Network’s (BPN) presence in Asia.
The Anonymous Poker Series is also sort of Bodog’s way of thumbing its figurative nose at other online poker rooms that might doubt its ability to put on a successful tournament festival. About a year ago, Bodog made a controversial change to its games, making the poker tables anonymous. Players could no longer be identified by their opponents by name; their seats were designated with a Bodog-generated number with no unique identification properties.
The move was designed to make Bodog the friendliest site on the internet for the casual poker player, eliminating the ability for “sharks” to track “fish.” Said Bodog Poker Network Vice President Jonas Odman at the time:
We believe that introducing these features makes the Bodog Recreational Poker Model a pioneer in the online poker world and offers all players of all abilities the fairest place to play. We have shown before that we are not afraid of controversy by changing the way rakeback was viewed and starting to block data mining sites earlier this year and these new features now give players a less biased ‘pure poker’ experience. To my mind, the software and Bodog’s Recreational Poker Model is a genuine game changer.
While the removal of screen names was applauded by many, others were skeptical, believing that the inability to players to track each other would make it much easier for cheaters to fly under the radar. For example, two friends could theoretically sit down at the same table, call each other up to share what their “screen number” was and proceed to collude without anyone being the wiser. Botters, chip-dumpers, and super-users would also be much harder to detect, especially considering that many cheaters have been caught by other players who notice suspicious play through off-line hand analysis.
The Anonymous Poker Series, as mentioned previously, will be comprised of both live and online events, culminating in the $100,000 Grand Final in Manila in January 2014. Of course, Bodog customers will make it to the Grand Final, qualifying in both live and online tournaments. Interestingly, though, online gaming operators will also get the chance to qualify and specially selected “poker heroes” will also participate.
Jonas Odman explained some of the motivations behind the Series:
This series will help highlight exactly how and why we feel our network is the best and safest place for both recreational poker players and operators alike. Operators who service sports bettors and casino players do not want their customers leaking money to non-depositing poker pros who are using sophisticated software in order to win. Our anonymous tables take this unfairness out of the equation, creating a much better experience for the leisure player.
This model has been specifically designed to appeal to the Asian market where the ‘trust-factor’ is the single most important reason for choosing one operator over another. In the Asian market we believe our product – in the same way Live Dealer casinos are viewed above RNG operators – will be the preferred option in poker.
Final details of the live events and qualifiers will be released in early 2013.
