Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) has kicked off celebrations to mark a decade in the online poker industry. Launched as Prima Poker in 2003, the network has grown from strength to strength and is now considered one of the biggest and most successful in the highly competitive online poker industry.
Throughout its 10 years in the industry, Microgaming has stayed ahead of the competition through innovation and thinking out of the box. From being the first network to launch a product for the Android mobile phone, to being the first to introduce Anonymous Tables and the Survivor Tournament, MPN proves that it is always at the forefront.
“The MPN is one of poker’s best loved and longest-established networks,” said the head of Network Games at Microgaming, Lydia Melton. “We’ve seen so many changes on the network and in the industry in the last ten years – the rise of regulated markets and loss of other markets, software innovation and nearly five billion hands dealt at our tables. I’m really excited about what could happen in the next ten years.”
Adding to the celebrations was the Chief Executive Officer of 32Red, Ed Ware, who said that his platform continued to be pleased with the poker platform provided by Microgaming and have been part of the MPN since 2003. “MPN has consistently adapted to the online poker environment throughout the years and is today well positioned to continue to provide a successful poker solution,” said Ware.
After climbing quietly and steadily for a while now, the Bad Beat Jackpot on Microgaming’s Poker Network was triggered this week. The online casino and poker software provider said that six lucky players had taken home their share of €400,000 as a result of the win. This was the biggest Bad Beat Jackpot ever won on the Microgaming Poker Network.
Bad Beat Poker is hugely popular among players because it actually pays out to losers at the game. The jackpot is hit by players who have experienced a bad poker beat and this particular prize was claimed after a player at the Microgaming powered Nordic Bet poker site, Garboork_jai lost with four of a kind aces to a straight flush.
The fact that the Danish player managed to hit the Bad Beat Jackpot meant that all five of the other players at the table also shared in his luck. Garboork_jai won €219,645 while the other five shared the other chunk of the jackpot, a hefty €439,289.83.
“It’s really crazy. First I was annoyed I lost the hand but then I realized I won the jackpot. I’m still in shock. It sure is a lot of money!” said the Danish player.
When asked what he intends doing with his payout, the winner said that he would definitely be travelling with some of it to Vegas.
The Head of Network Games at Microgaming, Lydia Melton, said about the win: “Since the jackpot was so huge when it was hit and 20% is used to seed the next Jackpot, over €130,000 is still up for grabs.”
Online gaming brand, Purple Lounge, has announced that it intends moving its poker room from the Microgaming network to the Swedish-based Entraction network that was recently acquired by IGT.
As from Monday, January 16, 2012, Purple Lounge will join operators that include Victor Chandler at Entraction.
Management at Purple Lounge revealed that the reason for the move to Entraction was because the online poker industry is an every changing and fast-evolving one and that they too, were evolving.
The Purple Lounge online gambling operator has been a long-time licensee of Microgaming but feels that moving from the network is a crucial part of its development.
Thankfully for Microgaming, there are many other poker sites that operate on its network that is located on the Isle of Man. Microgaming is one of the largest software providers and oversees more than 40 Microgaming poker sites. The company was launched in 1994 under the name of Prima Poker Network before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 came into effect. Microgaming poker sites currently rank among the top ten poker sites in terms of traffic when combined as a group and one of the top spots for best European poker sites. The Microgaming network offers special software features and unique qualities that are not available at other sites as well as the best Microgaming poker sites for online players. Microgaming poker rooms do not accept US players.
Once the Purple Lounge moves on to the Entraction network they will no longer be able to accept players from Estonia, Russia and Canada.