Yesterday, the troubled online poker room Lock Poker left the Revolution Gaming Network to strike out on its own (interpret the meaning of “strike out” however you would like). No advance warning was given to its customers; during the migration to the new, proprietary platform, players were locked out of their accounts. Once the transition to the new site was complete, players were then told to go to Lock Poker’s website and download the new software, called “Lock Poker v2.”
In a short press release, Lock Poker stated that it will continue to offer both 36 percent rakeback through affiliates and the existing VIP program. Any assets in a players account, including tournament tickets, bonuses, and loyalty points, will be automatically transferred to a player’s new Lock Poker account.
Also in that statement, Lock Poker said that it “exercise(d) its right to terminate the contract as a result of what they cite are ‘numerous and ongoing breaches of contract by the current network operator’.”
That certainly does not sound good. But that is just the start of the fun.
When Lock Poker customers, many probably not knowing about the transition to the new, independent site, try to launch Lock’s old client on their computers, they are redirected to a Revolution site called Pure Poker and are encouraged to download the Pure Poker client with the following message:
Due to Lock’s ongoing financial issues, the poker service to Lock was terminated. We apologize for the inconvenience. Pure Poker is offering you a chance to redeem your Lock player balance immediately. Sign up with your Lock player email here. Go here to learn how to redeem your balance and create a ticket for more details. Pure Poker has been operating with integrity for 14 years, catering to niche players globally. In addition to playing with the same proven software, we offer faster payouts and immediate access to a Sportsbook.
Lock Poker has taken umbrage at this move by Revolution and Pure Poker, responding today with a letter on its website. Lock Poker says that the Pure Poker site “contains false and misleading information” and that the redirect is “an attempt by the network to take Lock players and damage Lock’s business via a deceptive and misleading practice.”
Lock reiterates that “Lock has no relationship whatsoever with Pure Poker. Pure Poker has no Lock player data or account details. The only way to migrate your Lock balance, points and bonuses is to click on the download link in this email and then MIGRATE ACCOUNT once you launch the new software.”
This statement, along with a bit of common sense, has led many in the poker community to guess that Pure Poker will not simply reimburse people’s Lock Poker balances, but rather give them some sort of unlockable bonus with playthrough requirements. One player on Two Plus Two received $50 from Pure Poker, which added, “It may take up to 7 days to confirm your balance with the network. Balances over $200 will be dealt with on a player by player basis. As you may be aware, LockPoker has left the poker network. We will be assisting players to recoup all their funds and our success in doing so will depend on your outstanding balance.”
Lock Poker has threatened to take legal action against both Pure Poker and the Revolution Gaming Network.
Much of Lock Poker’s complaining has elicited snickers from the poker community, as Lock Poker itself is considered one of the worst online poker operators around. Withdrawals are so slow at Lock Poker – upwards of six months – that PokerAffiliateSolutions.com graded its cashout speed a “D-.” People have been so desperate to get their funds off Lock that they have been selling them at 20 to 30 cents on the dollar. The horrible cashout speeds have also created an increase in chip dumping, which in turn resulted in Intertops, a very respected site on the Revolution Gaming Network, to review all cash game wins before crediting player accounts and segregate its mid-stakes and higher tables from the network.