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No official confirmation has come that GGPoker may soon move to an invitation-only model for its high-stakes games involving blinds of $25/$50, but there is some evidence to suggest that the change may already be afoot.
If true, the move is interesting, as it suggests that GGPoker does not want to open its games to a wider audience, focusing on what could be an exclusive selection of high-stakes players who are keen to spend more, given the chance to compete against their ilk.
High Stakes Players Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal
The move could also be occasioned by tightening the higher tiers of the platform where GGPoker wants to make sure there are no bots. Both explanations are equally plausible, although not very likely to be what motivates the company right now.
The change, which was first shared by Russian community members who received emails notifying them of the update, is due to take place on November 8, but there have been no official press statements by the company just yet.
Yet, the rumors have created a vortex of online reactions, and the response has not been flattering. Libertainian-minded poker rank-and-files have criticized the platform for abusing the trust that they have placed in the GGPoker brand.
By shutting the free entrance to high-stakes games, one of the biggest dreams of the poker community could be killed, precisely having the chance to start from small games, learn the ropes, master the game, and then enter the high-stakes games.
The invite-only format would severely limit this free migration throughout skill levels, restricting certain players possibly indefinitely, the community fears.
This accusation comes on top of other criticism sustained by the platform, specifically about its decision to “gamify” poker, or in other words make it more appealing to more people by way of simplifying the formats and essentially relying on randomness for winning.
High-stakes players have also said that they would not have the opportunity to maintain the same level of income. But is it all that bad?
Should “The Fish” Fear of the Move or Embrace It?
Overwhelmingly critical of the move, the community has not elected many defenders of the changes. YouTuber Joe Ingram suggested that GGPoker’s rumored decision may not be all for the wrong purposes.
Rather, GGPoker could be trying to screen and filter players who may be suspected of cheating, but this is a tenuous argument to uphold and is reminiscent of the way sports betting platforms tend to ostracize “sharp” bettors.
However, Ingram has a point to insist that there have been numerous tools used in high-stakes games to give players a statistical edge. Nevertheless, the aftertaste of this rumored change is bitter. What, ask players rightly, if the people who decide who gets to play in the high-stakes games collude?
In a game where skill should be the only deciding factor, this bizarre new form of gatekeeping rankles
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Fiona Simmons
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