Word broke recently that Carlyle Gaming and Entertainment will venture into online poker in the United States. The company announced the launch of PokerTwin, which it described in a press release as “a skill game and legal in most US jurisdictions including California and New York State. PokerTwin is a Texas Hold’em-based poker game that removes the luck of the draw and lets a poker player rely on their skills to win.” The new online poker room will go live during the third quarter of 2008.
According to its release, players at two different tables will be dealt the same poker hands. Having the exact same cards will force players to “prove their skill not by how lucky they are, but in how well they play each hand in comparison with the other player who has the same cards.” PokerTwin comes on the heels of the popularity of Duplicate Poker, which is also viewed as a “legal” online poker room. Like PokerTwin, Duplicate Poker also skirts around the internet gambling law in the United States.
In essence, your performance is not determined by your play at your own table. Instead, you’re judged by your play in comparison to others who hold the same hand as you do. On its website, Duplicate Poker claims, “Duplicate poker is a game of skill – the luck of the draw is one excuse your opponents won’t have. With the luck factor taken out, playing poker is no longer gambling: The Best Player Wins.”
In case you’re not familiar with the company, Carlyle Gaming and Entertainment “unites companies that have been on the cutting edge of the Internet gaming revolution with traditional casino service providers. The alliance of old school knowledge and new school know-how means that CGE companies are innovators in every area of the gambling industry.”
Duplicate Poker recently introduced legal ring games. In these games, which range in buy-in from $0.05 to $10, “At the outset of each hand players will have 1000 chips to play. Each player’s results will be compared with other players sitting in the same seat at participating tables. After each hand players will be rewarded a set payout for incremental increases in their chip stacks.” Again, it’s a player’s skill that is the primary driver behind his or her success or failure in every hand.
Club WPT is another attempt at circumventing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which currently defines the internet gambling law in the United States. Introduced by the World Poker Tour, Club WPT is a subscription-based poker room that utilizes U.S. sweepstakes law in order to be deemed legal. The World Poker Tour also operates a for-profit online gambling room that does not accept U.S. players. The company just announced that Club WPT promotional tournaments will air on Fox Sports Net.
The announcement by Carlyle Gaming is just the latest in what will likely be a string of attempts to get around the UIGEA and Wire Act in the United States. With 300 million people within its borders, the U.S. represents a gold mine for internet gambling operators.
Well hopefully pokertwin will do many things better than duplicate poker……
1. No Bots
2. Real phone support (not just an answering service)
3. Timeley payments. I helped duplicate poker beta test their software and never received compensation that was promised to me.
I hope this isnt even the same company tho I fear it is.