Zynga-Zing-A

By the time you read this online poker may have undergone its biggest shake up since the Feds shut down PokerStars, Full Tilt and UB in the United States. This shake up will come in the form of ZyngaPlusPoker, the new, real-money poker site from gaming behemoth, Zynga (see Industry News).

The new site promises to “Combine the exciting social Zynga poker fun you know and love with real money prizes,” but what the poker industry is waiting to see is if Zynga’s entry into the market is a rising tide which lifts all boats or just another high profile, full-of-broken-promises flop like the Epic Poker League.

The smart money knows Zynga needs a success story having seen its share price tumble from around $16 to under $3, wiping out billions in shareholder value and raising many questions about its business model. Something had to give and ZyngaPlusPoker looks like a speculative throw of the dice to get a sustainable strategy up and running.

Zynga typically means casual gamers to industry watchers which could be great news for experienced poker players if the market is suddenly flooded with wave after wave low-level players with limited experience.

bwin.party will certainly be licking its lips if that’s the case as they’re Zynga’s UK partner so players will get action on its network. Indeed it could potentially overtake Full Tilt Poker as the second largest poker site if ZyngaPlusPoker proves a success.

Zynga is clearly not targeting experienced poker players — there has been no pre-launch marketing campaign to speak of, no press releases, no interviews or partnerships with media organisations. Indeed the language itself used by Zynga Plus Poker to promote its site is tentative and newbie-ish. “ZyngaPlusPoker.co.uk is one of the only UK sites that offers a huge array of new player perks,” and “Expect a starter surprise in your bankroll.” Perks? Starter surprise? Not exactly industry standard marketing phrases. But then again not exactly an industry standard type of company.

Stars In Their Eyes

Not to be outdone by a potentially significant competitor, PokerStars has launched a free play, .net poker platform in Zynga’s back yard — Facebook. PokerStars has a history of innovation — live poker tours, buying Full Tilt Poker — its no surprise they have ventured into the social gaming realm. It may be a defensive move by PokerStars with some collateral social marketing benefits but it does signal its intent not to take Zynga’s move lying down.

How the battle of these two online gaming giants will pan out over the coming months remains to be seen but we’ll be watching closely and look forward to a good, clean fight. ♠