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Online Poker News -
Official Press Release on Party Poker Software updates 10/10/2005
PartyGaming Plc (“PartyGaming” or the “Group”), the world's leading
online gaming company, announces today that it has taken a further
step towards establishing a new fully integrated PartyGaming
operating platform. This platform will, on launch, offer a variety
of different games but with a common systems architecture allowing
each of its nine million registered PartyPoker customers to use a
single account and a shared purse across the Group’s gaming brands.
As part
of today’s development, the Group has moved the PartyPoker.com brand
and all of its players to the new platform. Historically, PartyPoker
players have shared the same poker-only system with players from
each of the Group’s four white label poker clients or “skins” (being
Empire Poker, Coral Eurobet, Multipoker and Intertops). Following
today’s move, PartyPoker players will now play on their own private
tables and benefit from a number of new and exciting products that
are exclusive to the new platform. The new platform includes
non-poker games such as Blackjack, as well as added features to the
poker product such as Side Bets and Deal-Making in poker
tournaments. Once the fully integrated platform is launched in the
first half of 2006, players will then be able to click through and
play on PartyPoker, PartyCasino and other new PartyGaming products
that are currently being developed, all using a common account and a
shared purse.
The
skins’ poker players will continue to have full access to the
existing poker system. They will also now benefit from the release
of several new product enhancements comprising “beginners’ tables” –
these include “micro-limit tables” and low buy-in tables – and
$50/$100 and $100/$200 Pokernow.com which was acquired by the Group
earlier in the year, will continue to operate on the existing poker
system with the skins.
Commenting on today’s announcement Richard Segal, Chief Executive
said:
“We are
on track to deliver our exclusive Party-branded integrated platform
that will include additional products and services, enabling us to
focus on optimizing cross-selling opportunities. We believe that
today’s development is an important step towards cementing together
the inherent strengths of all the Party brands and is in the best
interests of our customers and shareholders. In conjunction with
this exciting development, we will continue to maintain and support
the poker system we provide for the skins.”
Contacts:
PartyGaming Plc +44 (0)20 7337 0100
Peter
Reynolds, Director of Investor Relations
John
Shepherd, Director of Corporate Communications
Financial
Dynamics +44 (0)20 7831 3113
Edward
Bridges / Juliet Clarke
Notes for
Editors
About
PartyGaming
Founded
in 1997, PartyGaming Plc is the world’s leading online gaming
company and owns and operates PartyPoker.com, the world’s largest
online poker room. Other online gaming activities include casino,
principally through StarluckCasino.com and also online bingo through
PartyBingo.com.
Since 30
June 2005, PartyGaming Plc has been listed on The London Stock
Exchange under the ticker: PRTY. In the year to 31 December 2004,
the Group had revenues of $601.6m (of which skins represented 2.3%)
and generated earnings before interest, depreciation and
amortisation of $387.8m and profit before tax of $371.7m.
Regulated
and licensed by the Government of Gibraltar, the Group has over
1,200 employees located in the head office and operations centre in
Gibraltar, a business process outsourcing operation in Hyderabad,
India and a marketing services subsidiary in London. The Group has
customers in over 170 countries.
PartyPoker, PartyCasino, PartyBingo and PartyGaming are trademarks
of the PartyGaming Plc.
Side Bets
Side Bets
are a new and fun way to place wagers based on the outcome of the
flop on real money tables. Whether you are a seated player or just
watching you can place a Side Bet on real money Texas Hold’em and
Omaha tables.
A Side
Bet is a bet on whether or not the flop will be all red or all
black. The flop is the first three community cards that are dealt in
Texas Hold’em and Omaha. All red means that all three cards come up
as the colour red (diamonds and / or hearts) and all black means
that all three cards come up as the colour black (spades and / or
clubs). Side Bets that are placed will be valid for the next hand
that is being dealt.
Blackjack
Blackjack
is a casino game that is now available on PartyPoker.com.
The
objective of Blackjack is to accumulate cards with point totals as
close to 21 without going over 21. The value of a hand is the sum of
the point counts of each card in the hand.
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The
cards from 2 through 9 are valued as indicated
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Face
cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) are all valued at 10 points
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An
ace is valued at either 1 point or 11 points
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The
game is available only in ‘Real Money’ mode
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The
minimum bet in the game is $1.00 and the maximum bet is $200.00.
Maximum bet applies for the initial bet of the game
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Eight
decks are used in the Blackjack game and each deck has 52 cards
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The
deck is shuffled after 10% of the cards in the decks are used
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The
dealer draws a card on soft 17 and stands on 17 or more
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Maximum splits allowed = 3
Deal-Making
Seated
players at final tables of tournaments (where the only prizes are
cash payouts) will have the ability to stop the game play and make a
deal for the remaining prize pool. If a deal is struck then payments
will be made. If the deal is for the entire remaining prize pool
then the tournament ends early, if not then the game resumes for the
balance of the prize pool less the deal amount. PartyGaming will not
need a human facilitator for any deal, rather it simply provides a
tool allowing the players to chat, negotiate and settle on a deal
should they so wish. |
