July 19, 2010 (CAP News Wire) – The online poker affiliate program for bwin has announced changes to its rakeback system, introducing a new algorithm called “Essence” that “will finally introduce a system where the player’s overall contribution to the poker ecology becomes a major component to its healthy balance,” according to an email distributed by the company.
Per the company statement, Essence is designed to adjust the rakeback system taking into account how the poker player plays and contributes to the pot, as well as “the long-term effects different players have on each other”.
“The purpose of this new procedure is to evaluate a player’s true value – to assign the correct rake amount – and to ensure long-term profitability for both you and bwin,” the company adds.
The company remarked that it was condiment that “most affiliates will notice an impact on their earnings as a direct consequence of the redistribution of the rake,” while also emphasizing that its Poker Points system will remain unchanged.
“This is a rather interesting development because unlike iPoker’s response to skins that produce too many sharks bwin has opted to adjust the amount of rake that they’re willing to pay affiliates based on various factors mentioned in the email,” commented online poker observer Bill Rini. “But this really only works if you get the algorithm correct.”
“That is going to be the devil in the details because I’ve seen plenty of people try to come up with a way to calculate a player’s net contribution to the poker ecosystem but none have done so with enough accuracy that I’ve ever heard or seen anybody actually use that metric.”
Bwin’s success in this new online poker rakeback venture remains to be seen. Poker affiliates can promote this program via the bwin poker affiliate program.