Phil Galfond Poker Website

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Phil Galfond Poker Websites
Phil Galfond Online Poker Site
Phil Galfond Poker Site

Valerie Cross

On Sunday, Phil Galfond took to the RIO blog to announce that the Run It Once poker site he has been diligently working to develop for over two years will be launching Wednesday, Feb. 6 in “Public Beta” mode as they continue to work out kinks and make improvements to attain near-perfection. That may explain why last Monday’s planned three-hour beta session was extended through three days.

Upon launch, players will be able to see firsthand the many features Galfond has outlined in previous update posts, including the newly announced 'Splash The Pot' rewards system, explained in more detail below.

Recent Updates on Run It Once

After several delays pushed previous launch dates back, Galfond posted a video on Sept. 3, 2018 to demonstrate some features of the site and fill the public in on what they were working on. He apologized for being wrong about the launch date, but assured everyone they would continue testing and improving in preparation for launch.

Phil Galfond takes one of the key principals in poker, the Minimum Defense Frequency (aka 1-alpha), and sheds light on various scenarios where it is theoretically okey to deviate from the mathematically derived defense frequency. Phil Galfond (born January 16, 1985) is an American professional poker player. Galfond won three World Series of Poker bracelets, in the $5,000 buy-in pot-limit Omaha with rebuys event in 2008, the $10,000 no-limit 2-7 single draw championship in 2015 and the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship in 2018.

Earlier in 2018, Galfond released details on site development and features that would set RIO apart. These included the disallowing of Heads-Up Displays (HUDs), use of table aliases, and a system of dynamic avatars that serves as a kind of built-in HUD. He later explained the features of AutoSeating and fixed buy-ins, put in place to prevent 'bum-hunting' tactics like use of seating scripts or table scouting.

In his Nov. 19 post, Galfond announced the Run It Once StreamR rewards system that incentivizes players on the site to stream their games, with 50% net rakeback as a reward for achieving the modest Level 1 requirement of 200 hours of watch time per month. The rakeback goes up to 75% and 100% for the next two tiers, with Team RIO streamRs getting 110% rakeback 'and more.'

Just after the recent three-day beta session, on January 31, Galfond posted details about the rewards system that RIO will launch with as well as base rake numbers for a range of cash games. And it became clear that launch was growing ever more near.

Splash The Pot Rewards System Explained

In his initial post about the Run It Once site, Galfond explained his belief that a poker site should value all types of players, so it comes as no surprise that they’re launching with a very visible rewards system that rewards all players equally through splashed pots.

“When poker is your profession, or just a game you’re passionate about one day becoming a winner in, pricing is no longer about what people are willing to pay – it’s about what is sustainable and what is fair,” Galfond wrote.

“...Pricing is no longer about what people are willing to pay – it’s about what is sustainable and what is fair.”

The 51% rakeback across the board will go back to the players through randomly selected hands that will see chips fall from the sky to boost the pot, with anywhere from one big blind to 1,000 big blinds, the smaller amounts occurring more frequently. The base rake numbers are also presented, ranging from 4% in the biggest cash games to 5.75% in the smaller games, those coming with caps between €3.75 and €1.00, respectively. He explained the reasoning behind the system:

“We decided that all types of players would get more enjoyment out of a fun system that achieved our net rake targets through higher base rake and high rewards. And even if the price sensitive players were indifferent to the rewards mechanism, it would still be better for them if the price insensitive players had more fun by seeing rewards coming their way.”

Some benefits of the Splash The Pot system Galfond points out are equal rewards for all players across the board, no uncollected rewards, plus added benefits of making games more interesting and dynamic, and serving as an additional form of bot deterrent. Bots would have a hard time adjusting properly to the differing levels of splashed pots, which could tip off their nature upon scrutiny.

“We believe that all poker games should be beatable, and that common sense should be used to adjust rake based on game types, speeds, and achievable edges.”

“We decided that all types of players would get more enjoyment out of a fun system that achieved our net rake targets through higher base rake and high rewards.'

He clarified that faster-structured games with accompanying lower achievable edges would be raked at lower rates than longer-structured games. The common sense approach along with the company's belief system will guide rake decisions, which also mean constant re-evaluating of what's best for the players in the site's ecosystem.

“As we get more information, as we learn about our ecosystem and the effects of the rake we’ve started with, as those factors change over time, and as we introduce new stakes, new formats, and new game types, we will be making rake decisions again and again.'

Also in the name of transparency, a common theme in the RIO company language, Galfond assures that changes will be accompanied by explanations, and their reasons will be guided by company values.

'If a day comes when we make a decision to spread a game we don’t believe is beatable (for reasons I can’t yet foresee), I will tell you, I’ll explain our reasons, and those reasons won’t include, 'because we can.'

The Launch

This Wednesday, Run It Once launches to the public with 6-max NLHE and PLO tables, with more game types and formats to be added at a later date. In the launch announcement, Galfond called on supporters to help by playing (at least) one hand on Wednesday and sharing one impression, via social media or to a friend. He told PokerNews:

'The main hope I have, and I've mentioned it in my most recent post, is that players who want to support us will give us a try as soon as possible. We really need the liquidity in our games in week 1 in order to have a successful launch, and I know as a player how easy it is to wait and never get around to signing up for a site until I know I'm going to move a lot of my play there. If people will give us a shot early, it will mean a lot for our chances of achieving those long-term goals.'

He wrapped his post with the following vision:

“The deck may be stacked against us, but I believe that with just a little bit of help from you, we can make our poker dream a reality.'

“The deck may be stacked against us, but I believe that with just a little bit of help from you, we can make our poker dream a reality - we can conquer threats to online poker’s future through the innovations we launch with and the countless more still to come, we can be a driving force for positive change in the industry, and we can make Run It Once Poker exactly what a poker site should be.”

Then he embedded the words of his initial September 1, 2016 post where he outlined what a poker site should be, which concludes with the vision he set out for RIO: 'I want a fair, honest, transparent poker site that believes in the dream that I have lived. I'm going to give it my best shot.'

And that is what Galfond has done, and continues to do, with Run It Once Poker.

To everyone saying that they'll be there to play @RunItOncePoker on Wednesday - Thank you so much! You truly will… https://t.co/FMpvIgHmFs

— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond)

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Phil Galfond

The long-awaited Run It Once Poker site is right around the corner. It successfully completed an extended beta test in September and October, with around 1000 registered players chosen in its biggest real money beta test to date.

RIO Poker is an upcoming online real money poker site headed by Phil Galfond, a professional poker player, a coach, and three-time WSOP Bracelet winner. The project was first revealed two years ago as Galfond felt that the online poker sites at that time lacked “transparency” and he was looking for a “fair, honest, transparent” poker site.

Initially, the site was supposed to launch in Q1 2017. However, the project kept delaying for various reasons but now the site is almost ready and will be launching this week.

The online poker room is licensed in Malta and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority. The company also holds a license from the UK Gambling Commission to launch in the UK.

Here are the answers to some of the questions that you may have on Phil Galfond’s upcoming online poker site.

When is the site launching?

RIO Poker will go live for real money for the first time publicly on Wednesday, February 6.

Phil Galfond Poker Websites

The site has been in development for two years and has been doing private beta testing since April 2018. On September 13, the site went live for a special invite-only real money beta test for the first time. Hundreds of players around the world participated in this beta testing that ran for three hours from 11:00 to 14:00 EST.

Phil Galfond Online Poker Site

Following a successful first beta test, it ran another beta test in October. However, during this beta test, many players faced technical issues such as long delays between the dealing of the hands, crashes, payment and login issues, among other bugs. However, most of these issues including the pause issues have been fixed now.

Will the online poker room be available in my region?

The site operates internationally under a Malta license—so if you usually have access to the international player pools on sites like PokerStars, 888, and partypoker, you should be able to access RIO Poker when it launches. This includes Canada, South America much of Europe, including Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Russia, and Germany (with the exception of one state). It is available in the UK too, thanks to RIO’s UKGC license.

The company is considering its options in the smaller licensed jurisdictions, like Denmark and Bulgaria. It is not expected to be live in these jurisdictions at launch. Similarly, jurisdictions with segregated player pools are also understood to be on its radar—Spain, France, Italy, Portugal etc—but not on the immediate roadmap.

Due to the legal situation, the site will not be available across the United States. The operator has not indicated any interest to enter the legal state based markets of New Jersey or Nevada, nor future states expected to go live with real money online poker, like Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Here’s what the terms and conditions say: “Games for real money shall only be available to players residing (and physically located) in a jurisdiction which does not prohibit the offering of such games by persons licensed in Malta.”

Players residing in the following full list of countries cannot participate in any real money games or create an account on RIO poker: Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany (State of Schleswig-Holstein), Greece, Guyana, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Syria, Uganda, United States of America, Vanuatu, Yemen.

What games will be available at launch? At what currency will the games be available?

The first phase of launch will offer only poker cash games with both No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha variants. Cash games will be offered as 6-max and the games will run in Euro (€) currency.

The site expects to launch Tournaments, Sit & Go’s and other formats in its second phase launch. Phil Galfond has also said that he wants to offer other niche variants including mixed games as well. Short Deck Poker, also known as Six Plus Hold’em is also on company’s radar. However, the company’s first priority is to launch tournaments and sit & go’s ahead of the mixed games.

What are my Deposit/Withdrawal Options? Will the site accept cryptocurrencies?

During the real money beta test deposit and withdrawal options were Visa/MasterCard, Neteller, Skrill, ecoPayz, bank transfer powered by Trustly, and AstroPay. However, depending on the player’s location, these payment methods may vary, and the options could change at launch.

The site is not expected to accept cryptocurrencies at the time of launch—but it could be on the roadmap. Phil Galfond stated on Reddit when asked about his site will accept cryptocurrencies:

I view this as one of the top priorities among the things that we haven’t solved yet. Regulations regarding crypto transactions are evolving quickly, and we are investigating options which are compliant with our regulators’ requirements. I am sure that we’ll be able to eventually, but the when = as soon as they let us

Will players be able to choose their own table or seat? Also, will players be able to join the cash game table with a customized buy-in?

No, players won’t be able to pick their own table or seat. The site has adopted blind-lobby functionality which it calls “AutoSeat.” Under this system, players simply choose the game and stake and are automatically taken to an available seat. If no seat is immediately available, players join a global waiting list.

All the cash games will have a fixed buy-in of 100 big blinds.

Will there be any cap to the number of tables a player can play?

Yes, cash game tables will be limited to six tables for every player. Phil Galfond in one of his blog updates asked the poker community to vote whether four- or six-table maximum would be better for the site, laying out the pros and cons for both.

“I’ve seen table caps discussed in many places … these days, public sentiment seems to have shifted in favor of a low table cap,” Galfond said in his blog post.

“People argue that mass multitablers are 'bad for the games.’ Personally, I believe that in large part, the 'right’ table cap will change over time, based on the player pool, skill gaps, and a number of other factors,” he added.

The community voted for a six maximum, and hence the table cap is six tables.

Has the site announced the rake structure? What is the rewards program or rakeback structure?

Yes, RIO Poker has revealed its rake tables along with its primary rewards program: “Splash the Pot.”

More details can be found here.

Phil Galfond has also announced a unique program that will be rewarding players who stream while playing on Run It Once Poker with up to 110% in net rakeback.

A four-level program called “streamR” will be introduced. Players on Level 1 will need 200 hours of “watch time” and they will receive 50% net rakeback. Similarly, Level 4 will require 20,000 hours of watch time and players will be rewarded 110% rakeback.

More details on Run It Once streamR rewards program can be found here.

Will the use of HUDs and other third-party tools be permitted?

No, HUDs will not be allowed. Instead, the software will provide an inbuilt system that will act as a HUD through its unique Dynamic Avatar feature (see below).

As for other third-party tools, the answer is no—the site will take a hard-line stance against any tools that are used during gameplay to assist the player. The site’s terms and conditions say:

The use of any software program which facilitates artificial intelligence or automated play is strictly prohibited, and the company will take proactive measures to detect and prevent any use of prohibited software.
All other third party poker assistance programs are prohibited during gameplay. This includes any software that provides information about the playing habits or actions of the other players at the table, software that provides advice on playing strategy, or any software that interacts directly with the client including scripts or macros. This prohibition applies to all offerings unless explicitly stated otherwise.

How does the Dynamic Avatar system work?

Dynamic Avatar system is a unique innovative industry-first feature that has been implemented as part of the company’s plan to disincentivize the use of HUDs and “bumhunting”. The site has not revealed the full details of its unique Dynamic Avatar system. However, it is believed that dynamic avatars work based on how players play their hands.

“Our Dynamic Avatars only take into account hands you’ve played against an individual opponent, just like your own HUD would, so you may display an expression to one opponent that is different than what your other opponent sees,” wrote Phil Galfond in May.

For example, a player who plays “loose aggressive” will show an angry face, a player who plays “very loose aggressive” will show an enraged face. Similarly, a player who doesn’t play too many hands displays “sleepy” expression. A player who is new to the table will appear with no expression and will be labelled as “New Player”.

From Grinning to Angry, from Enraged to ROTFL, Game Face to Puzzled, there are eight facial expressions that change regularly based on the player’s recently observed play style.

Interestingly, the expressions which players see are based on the hands they have played against that player at the table.

Does the site allow players to take notes?

Yes, players can make a note on other players by clicking on the avatar of the player. The site also allows marking players with five different color coding. However, they will be valid for only four hours.

Will players be able to communicate with other players?

No, the operator will not be providing a traditional chat box table. Instead, players will be able to communicate with other players through a limited set of emoji’s and acronyms such as “NH”, “TY”, “YOLO”.

Does the site support Mac client? Also, will RIO poker be launching an app for mobile users?

We can confirm that the second beta testing session will support MAC clients along with Windows Desktop client.

The site has not yet revealed a mobile app yet. But it is expected, RIO will release an app for Android and iOS users in the near future. There is no word on whether there will be a browser-based client.