It started in December of 2008 when PokerStars claimed the world record, as the online poker site organized a tournament that drew 35,000 players to it, the most ever to play in one event at one time on the internet. Since that time, not only has PokerStars had its eye on breaking its own record, but Full Tilt Poker had the same idea too. Healthy competition between two of the biggest and most popular poker sites in the world, some might say.
Just after the wrap of the 2009 World Series of Poker-with the exception of the November Nine-Full Tilt Poker began advertising its Record Breaker tournament scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 19. For only $5 or 1,000 Full Tilt Points, players could participate in the tournament that planned to break the Guinness World Record by registering more than 35,000 players. The site also put up a $500,000 guarantee on the tournament as an in-advance sign of gratitude to its players. High hopes were that Full Tilt would break the record and see its name in the books for some time.
The tournament garnered 50,000 player registrations, which set a record, and breo40 was the player who won the nine-hour event and the $45,000 first place prize. Full Tilt Poker would have found its way into the record books ... if PokerStars hadn't set up a fairly impromptu tournament to outdo its competitor.
The PokerStars event was set for the same day and was announced just days after the Full Tilt effort, and the Guinness World Record tournament on PokerStars had a higher maximum number of players and lower buy-in. For only $1, players could get in on the action for a $130,000 guarantee and a cut-off of 65,000 players. They achieved their goal, as players clamored to get into the tournament. Despite the prize pool being more lucrative than the Full Tilt tournament, PokerStars offered a cheaper entry fee and the notion that they would still own the record, which brought the masses to Stars. In the end, it was 004 license who won the tournament and $13,000 first prize, and PokerStars that retained ownership of the new world record.
Why such an interest from both sites in breaking the record? There may have been an element of notoriety, as a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records can only further the company name and bring more players to the site. But the battle between the two largest sites seemed to be more of a competition, a besting of the other. Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars constantly spar via well-known sponsored pros and major tournaments with stellar guarantees to outdo the other and draw more site traffic, and though most of the back-and-forth seems good natured and not directed specifically at the other, there is a competition to be the best and most popular site. It is the nature of business, and competition is the pinnacle of the online poker world.
Some players do have a preference and play solely on one of those two sites. But the overwhelming majority of players likely claim accounts on PokerStars and Full Tilt, so in the end it comes down to customer service, game options, and ease of play as to where the people will choose to spend most of their money.
But if the UIGEA is overturned and new legislation is passed in the United States to regulate and license online poker, a new group of companies will be entering the American market and challenging the two sites to step up their games even more. For now, the two rule the US market, but they both understand that gaining the trust of customers now may be their keys to long-term success in the world's biggest market.
Jennifer Newell is a compulsive writer. In addition to Poker Player Newspaper, she writes for numerous publications and blogs at Pokerati.com as California Jen. In her little bit of spare time, she plays poker, too. Contact her at jen3351@msn.com.
