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May 25, 2007
End of an Era
I find it odd and somewhat disheartening that Paradise Poker is switching to Boss Media's network. It sort of marks the end of an era in online poker, just like Kmart going bankrupt did for retail. I remember playing on Dise back when it had first opened and the only real competitor was Planet Poker. Their software was so much better, even for those of us who didn't know that Planet Poker's shuffle had been taken advantage of, that it was practically in a different league. It was what made me believe that some day online poker might be almost as good as the real thing.
Their marketing must have had just as much of a lead, because Paradise always had far more action than anyone else. Until Party Poker got the bright idea of advertising on the World Poker Tour it seemed as if their dominance was insurmountable. You assumed they'd always be the biggest site much the way you assume Wal-Mart will always be the biggest retailer.
In retrospect their biggest mistake was not adapting. They didn't advertise enough during the early boom year(s). They didn't get tournaments until years after PokerStars and Party. They never did make it easier for Poker Tracker to import hands, and their servers would crap out during peak hours. It's a pretty textbook example of a company being put in multiple evolve or die scenarios, and I guess who ever ran that site must have been a creationist.
I haven't used Boss Media's software since I propped there in their early days, but it was atrocious then. And it wasn't improving. I get the impression from their site that they're powered by software from someone called St. Minver (new idea, name gambling sites after religious figures. Next up, virginmarypoker.com) which also does Yahoo's poker site, so maybe this one is better. It appears to be Flash-based though, so then again, maybe it isn't.
Do any of my Euros have any experience there? I'd love to hear opinions on it.
Posted by themaroon at May 25, 2007 5:04 AM