In the $4.8 billion global online poker industry, Cool Hand Poker is continuing to deviate from the norm with the launch of ‘Tournaments for the People’, a series of online poker tournaments with buy-ins as low as $0.20 + $0.02, less than 25% of the network’s minimum buy-in. These ‘micro’ tournaments are designed to allow new players to learn the game and enjoy themselves before moving on to higher priced tournaments.
Minimum buy-ins on most poker networks average around $1 + $0.10, and maximums can reach thousands of dollars on some online poker sites. Cool Hand Poker’s new pricing structure includes a wide variety of tournaments run regularly throughout the day for less than $1, and the site’s most expensive tournament is only $20 + $2.
“We don’t cater to the people betting thousands each day, we cater to the thousands of people who are trying to have fun and learn the game,” said a Cool Hand Poker representative. “These tournaments are another unique feature we’re introducing to encourage new players to discover the excitement of tournament play, while discouraging professional players.” Players can also discover the flexibility and enjoyment of video poker at JackpotCity, one of Cool Hand Poker’s sister brands and a leading online casino.
Cool Hand Poker has billed itself as a shark-free environment, referring to the absence of professional players who prey on amateurs as a means of earning a living, and has taken numerous steps to live up to that claim. In addition to low-value Tournaments for the People and low maximum buy-ins, the site also limits the amount of money a player can have at a table at any given time, the number of tables they can play concurrently and does not offer rake back, a feature high-volume players look for. The site also limits cash table sizes to a $2-$4 maximum, and offers ‘green tables’ that are not available to players from other networks.
“Our goal is to build the safest online poker website in the world,” said the representative. “While we cannot guarantee a professional player won’t come to Cool Hand Poker, we’re doing anything and everything possible to make it unappealing for them. We’ve even contacted players directly and asked them to cash out and leave the site. We really do look out for our players.”
The direction is unique in an industry filled with superstars, bluffs and giant pots, but it’s proving effective as more and more players gravitate to the site’s ‘friendly’ face. “A large number of the players we speak to via surveys and customer support tell us we aren’t the first site they came to,” said the representative. “Over and over again we hear about people getting cleaned out less than an hour after joining one of our competitors. We’re trying to make sure that doesn’t happen here.”
