Microgaming quit the poker market just a few months ago. Already they are returning. This week, Microgaming announced an all-new online poker game.
They promise it will be: "the first in a full suite of exclusive poker games scheduled for release by Microgaming, with follow-up titles such as Lucky Showdown set to be revealed in the coming months."
The new game is called simply Hold'em Poker and it sounds like it will be hosted in a similar manner to their slot machine offerings. The highly specialized format sounds similar to PokerStars's spin'n'go format with a randomized prize pool for each game.
Microgaming tweeted about the new product saying: "We're excited to reveal Hold'Em Poker [...] adding a new dimension of choice to our diverse casino offering."
You put your left leg in
Earlier this year, after "an extensive internal review of the software supplier’s product portfolio and strategy," Microgaming pulled the plug on their online poker software. With that, the Microgaming Poker Network, one of the stalwarts of online poker, vanished.
At that point, Microgaming had sixteen years of running online poker clients. Big brands like Grosvenor and Betway used the MPN software, as well as dozens of instantly forgotten skins.
Although most of the really big kahunas in the market have their own software, when put together MPN was a big player in the market.
As one of the biggest makers of online slots, shutting down MPN didn't take Microgaming out of the wider gambling market though.
It left them poised for a return. They plowed that sixteen years' worth of experience into something new. Something that would sit more comfortably in the vertical market they already occupied.
Just a few months after announcing the MPN shutdown, they are launching Hold'em Poker.
Hold'em Poker
The Microgaming press release describes the game as "a sophisticated brand of classic Texas hold’em which aims to immerse players in a realistic poker room environment."
The basic set up will be a €5 buy-in sit'n'go. The use of "fast paced" implies short stacks and short blind levels.
The game aims to work with mobile phones, rather than playing as desktop software. And it will feature a progressive jackpot.
Also, in a feature "borrowed" from Stars, Microgaming is "spinning in a new random prize pool wheel mechanic."
The game is also likely to sport the softest field of players imaginable. It looks like the app will be appearing as an offering aimed at slot players and table game mugs. That should put plenty of fish in the game player pool.
The volatility and vig on a game like that are likely to be high. But the ROI for a canny player might be pretty good too.
Featured image source: Twitter
