Last week, a popular user of our Russian GipsyTeam forum, proces, posted on his Telegram channel a news story about the upcoming change in the high stakes of the GG network:
PLO BROTHERS
And here's the news from GG! I heard that in 2-3 weeks GG will make an update in which all the expensive game, that is, all VIP tables, will move to a closed mode, operating exclusively by invitation!
The GG leadership will make the decision on who can play in the VIPs and who cannot. These decisions will be made after a thorough analysis of each regular's game.
It looks like they are doing this to clear the VIP tables of regulars.
A few days later, players started receiving emails from the platform confirming this information:
Good afternoon,
The service format will be changed soon. This will affect all VIP tables in our network. The new rules imply closed access. Admission will be strictly by invitation. The opportunity to join the exclusive service is provided by hosts approved by the network administration. Also, each player is checked and access for regulars will be closed. This format promises interesting communication, pleasant acquaintances and a qualitatively new level of play. You will be able to share the impressions of the game with those who appreciate the corresponding atmosphere.
If you are interested, we will provide you with the host's contacts.
Best regards!
Personal manager PokerOK.
To understand what is happening and what the consequences will be, we asked some players who will be directly affected by the possible changes.
— How has the volume of high-dollar games been on GG recently? What is the ratio between recreational and regular games?
Daniil Vasiliev:
There have been a lot of games, I have played over 20,000 hands. Traffic on GG rarely decreases. I usually get a comfortable load in the evening. Without recreational players, the game practically does not happen.
Ilya Karachevsky:
There is a lot of play and a significant amount of fish playing in the -30bb range. Sometimes the 4-table restriction limits the possibility of playing with everyone.
Nikolai "dyrdom1" Evdokimov:
The traffic is decent. In October, apparently, there was some test where part of the tables were closed, but I didn't even notice it, and I didn't feel much of a difference. The games are centered around some active recreation, but I can't say that there was a lack of action.
Alexey "avr0ra" Borovkov:
I haven't played much in the last six months, but from what I can tell, not much has changed. There are good games at NL10k-40k, but the quality at 5k is much lower. There can be spikes at very expensive tables (40k and above), while the rest remains stable. For GG, NL5k is a highly profitable stakes, and regulars can average a yield of 1bb/100 at best. For pros, NL10k is much more advantageous, but the action there is less frequent, although it is excellent when it happens.
— What about high stakes on other sites?
Daniil Vasiliev:
GG has completely monopolized the high stakes traffic compared to the platforms accessible to me. About 90-95% of the games are on GG.
Ilya Karachevsky:
On other platforms, the scenario is discouraging. Comparing the expectation when sitting at the table, Chico is still the best due to the 100bb entry. If you pay attention to the lobby, you can get 5 thousand hands with fish in a month.
Nikolai Evdokimov:
It is very difficult to play 5k hands outside of GG. Even the WPN has changed. Last year, regulars played more in 5k, but now they have divided the tabs between high stakes and regular cash games, and many regulars have become discouraged. The chances of finding fish have decreased, and in addition, many regs have suffered from downswings. I know many, including foreigners, who used to play a lot, but have now given up. Only in 20k are there regular players like "SealLama" and Linus, but in 5k the situation is much worse.
Alexey Borovkov:
On other platforms, the situation is terrible. CoinPoker and iPoker have rare high-stakes games, and WPN has less action due to changes in the lobby. The game is practically over.
— In October, there were tests with new private tables. Did this affect the common tables?
Boris Grabowski
Meanwhile, it appears that (if it's not a SmartHand bug) a historic chip dump worth over a million occurred in October.
All accounts appeared in October and played in the exotic NL20k fullring format, but after 500-1,000 hands they disappeared without a trace.
It is not yet known whether GG's security team reacted to this.
Below are screenshots from SmartHand.
Daniil Vasiliev:
This is the first time I'm hearing about it. In October, I even noticed more games, which I associated with the end of summer.
Ilya Karachevsky:
Compared to the summer, there was much more action.
Nikolai Evdokimov:
I have not delved into this topic, so I cannot answer.
Alexey Borovkov:
Actually, it wasn't real money; the developers were playing against each other with play money. It had no impact on the action at the regular tables.
— Any insider information about the new rules? Will it be completely closed to regulars or will there be invitations?
Daniil Vasiliev:
I don't have that information.
Ilya Karachevsky:
The terms of the site are vague, so they can do anything, which is not a good sign.
Nikolai Evdokimov:
I hope GG will create invitational tables, like CoinPoker, but without eliminating the action at regular high-stakes tables.
Alexey Borovkov:
I have some inside information, but I can't share everything. It's obvious that it won't be good for professional players. Will it improve for amateurs? It's not clear yet. Maybe it will, but first we need to understand how this system will work.
For streamers and room ambassadors, the changes could be positive. As for the intermediate players, I believe they will not have access to the good tables. They will be left with high rake tables and few recreational players. The top amateurs will be "destined" to friends of the platform or those who collaborate with the hosts of the closed games and, possibly, share a part of the profits with them. Of course, there will be no transparency, as there will be no more open games. Someone like Linus will be able to enter, because of his name, but for a regular strong player, they will either not let him play or demand a large part of the winnings.
From what I understand, the hosts will be people who previously had their own clubs on apps, but will now work with GG and join them. However, the games will remain in a closed club format.
The email doesn't explain this clearly, and no one really knows how it will work. I wouldn't be surprised if the people responsible for the change haven't fully figured out how to implement it yet. I think it will change about ten times. But as I said, there's no doubt that nothing good will come of it for pro players.
— Looks like GG is going to shut down public VIP games. Where will the regulars go?
Daniil Vasiliev:
This is very sad news. I hope the regulars will enjoy playing with me and that I will get an invite from one of the Chinese players. As I said, high-stakes traffic on other platforms is non-existent. I would probably consider MTTs if there were no more games at my stakes. Currently, almost all of my workload comes from GG. My income will drop significantly. I will start streaming and playing tournaments. It seems that my retirement will be in the insane asylum.
Ilya Karachevsky:
In the worst-case scenario, the regs will go wherever they can. My workload at GG is not that high, but about 70% of my expected earnings come from VIP tables. On all European sites combined, you can play a maximum of 5,000 hands at high stakes with fish in a year. On GG, you can play 50,000 hands with a great expectation in a year.
On GG, you only need to monitor three tables, while on other sites you need more than six tables. On iPoker, for example, the bots never leave a spot for the fish, and on ACR it's like winning the lottery to get a table with fish without a reg there. I have some ideas on how to optimize the expectation with the remaining traffic, even in the worst-case scenario. However, I will probably move to MTTs. At least until they also implement invitational registration in tournaments. Reality is changing, and to survive you have to adapt and change. That's how I see it.
Nikolai Evdokimov:
To be honest, I don't know exactly what to expect; I prefer to live in the moment. Right now everything is fine for me, the game continues. I really like GG as a platform. I'm glad that they've revived the high stakes. There's been a lot of action there in recent years. I'm happy to continue playing while I have the opportunity. If suddenly the games are completely closed, I'll decide what to do.
There are always options. Maybe another platform will take advantage of the situation and capture the action, like CoinPoker. However, of course, that would affect me catastrophically. In the last few years, my priority has been high stakes, and I have tried to establish myself at that level. I regularly play NL5k and 10k, and sometimes 20k and even 40k. I would have to completely change the direction of my career. I haven't decided how yet, but my typical day involves 5k and 10k tables on GG. For now, I consider all this just rumors. Let's see what actually happens. In the worst-case scenario, I might be able to negotiate with GG, like I did last time during the strike.
Alexey Borovkov:
It is not clear where this will lead. Some will play at lower stakes, others will move to other sports, and some will try to play NL1k-10k on other platforms. GG will still allow regulars to join, but not in the top clubs. If I were to continue playing cash games, I would probably play at lower stakes.
— If expensive, public games on GG remain open, do you think these games will die out after this change? In your experience, do recreational players enjoy playing with each other?
Daniil Vasiliev:
I think recreational players like to play among themselves, as they win more often. In club apps, this is the most profitable format for organizers. However, this format does not last long. After all, the ecosystem has its own regs (dominant recreational players). Amateurs are also very diverse – some make their living from poker income, but in GG the level of competition is higher than in informal games. In the end, we will have a smaller amount of games.
Ilya Karachevsky:
Recreational players like to play with good players and among themselves. However, the best recreational players end up becoming the local regulars, and this creates a closed cycle.
Nikolai Evdokimov:
Let's say all the regs are removed and recreational players start playing only among themselves. I think this kind of game would die out quickly. Recreational players who play at high stakes (20k+) understand what's going on well. They know how poker works and they know the pros. Often they want to face strong opponents themselves, because they find it interesting to outplay them. I have a lot of contact with amateurs, and they can ask me anything at any time.
Even at Triton, we see that amateurs like to play with professionals. Furthermore, there may be problems in forming the game, as there are fewer amateurs than regs. When some regs leave, others end up joining, but in this case they would be amateur-regs . So, overall, nothing changes – amateurs will lose to stronger amateurs. It will not be the case that all the money goes to rake.
Alexey Borovkov:
It seems that they intend to eliminate expensive public tables altogether. If they continue, there will still be some play, but less action. Not all recreational players understand the club system. Some only want to play cash after winning a tournament. But the volume of action will certainly decrease.
— Will this change make money for the room in the long run? Are regs at VIP tables not in GG's interest and not profitable?
Daniil Vasiliev:
It's hard to say without more details. I hope that GG's marketing department didn't come from PokerStars . Let's see how they organize everything. Cancelling the decision and reopening the games is always a possibility. For every recreational player, there are five regs, and they generate rake for the room, just like amateurs. The analysis of this should be done by the analytics department. The question of the profitability of this change is definitely not for me.
Ilya Karachevsky:
I'm sure these people, who are so greedy, know how to calculate well. I won't speculate on the regs.
Alexey Borovkov:
I can’t speak about profitability, but as for the image, I think this change doesn’t bring anything positive to the room. GG Network controls all the high stakes action and these games attract a lot of interest. But apparently they decided that it is more profitable to attract the most valuable players to closed games. VIP tables are more of an image issue for the room, but still quite profitable.
—Do your contacts among the international regs know anything about this? It seems that there has been no further information so far.
Daniil Vasiliev:
I have no contacts among international regs. All communication is only at the tables.
Ilya Karachevsky:
No.
Nikolai Evdokimov:
For them, too, everything is at the level of rumors. Many asked the representatives of the room, and GG answers: "No, no, nothing like that is planned."
Alexey Borovkov:
They know what's going on, but they don't really understand what's going on. We have some inside information. They write to support and get the answer: 'We don't know anything, we can't give any information.' We told some of them, but for many it will be a big surprise. Of course, everyone is unhappy.