Galfond to Reward Run It Once Streamers with Rakeback
As Phil Galfond has meticulously built his online poker site called Run It Once, he has taken special care to offer the game in a fresh way. He has paid attention to detail, added some features that poker players crave, and even offered polls to determine some of the basics of the site like card graphics and multi-tabling limits. But it is this type of mindfulness that has warranted more time to launch the site, more time than most Galfond fans anticipated.
In fact, it has taken longer than Galfond even anticipated, as he originally put out a launch goal of early 2017. The next hope was to launch it by the summer of 2018, but the testing phase has taken longer than planned. Initial beta testing took place within the company itself and involved about 40 people, but he expanded it in mid-September to include approximately 1,000 fans and poker players. By all accounts, the testing continued well into November to detect and work through any software glitches and bugs.
Last test exceeded expectations, but today’s @RunItOncePoker beta session didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.
Several positives were overshadowed by a bug that had a major impact on speed.
We still got many kind words about the software along with valuable info.
❤️ our testers
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) October 3, 2018
The latest update hints that the site is closer to launch than ever. And to keep fans excited about it, as well as to find ways to promote it before the official launch, Galfond has created an enticing promotion of sorts for poker streamers and those who dream of getting into online poker streaming.
"What does focus actually look like? You and you're playing, and that's it. You should only be doing one thing." @RunItOnce pro, @chrismission
— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) November 20, 2018
Pesky Bugs
Galfond recently took to YouTube to give fans an update about the testing process and some of the bugs discovered therein.
While most of the bugs have been identified and fixed with relative speed, the bug that has stumped many on the team at Run It Once is something that creates lag time of up to 45 seconds between hands. They have discovered several issues that may be causing the problem, one of which is a feature that the developers wanted to offer when the site goes live but may be the source of the lag time. However, Galfond noted that it is an important part of the software – something he has yet to share with the public – and is pushing for a way to resolve the glitch without removing that mystery feature.
I shared a quick update during my journey home from the @RunItOncePoker offices: https://t.co/fbhG6Bt7yQ
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) November 9, 2018
Galfond is positive about the progress of the testing and the development of the site. He mentioned that once the bugs are fixed and another round of testing done, he has high hopes for smooth sailing from that point forward.
Streaming Rewards Program
Galfond’s latest update on the Run It Once site discussed a rewards program that will be of specific interest to poker players who enjoy streaming poker online or have wanted to get started. This isn’t the primary rewards program for Run It Once players, but it does provide an innovative and fun way to get involved and earn rakeback.
Poker pro and streamer Elias Gutierrez is given the most credit for the core of the idea that the Run It Once Poker team decided to pursue. Galfond said it will create a level playing field and value all types of poker players while supporting poker dreams.
Essentially, Run It Once wants to create a new generation of poker streamers. Those new to the world of streaming will receive information about how to set up a stream and promote it, while Run It Once will also support them by promoting their channels and rewarding them for their successes.
Players who participate will be called streamRs, and they will have the support of the Run It Once team and be featured on the Run It Once Poker site.
https://twitter.com/stojmas_reborn/status/1064645638195986432
Anyone can qualify for rewards based on watch time each month. For example, if a person streams for four hours with an average of 10 viewers, the watch time for that stream would be 40 hours. Watch time is then tallied for an entire month, no matter the stakes being played.
There are four levels of rewards for anyone who garners at least 200 hours of watch time per month.
–Level 1: 200 hours of watch time = 50% rakeback
–Level 2: 1,200 hours of watch time = 75% rakeback
–Level 3: 8,000 hours of watch time = 100% rakeback
–Level 4: 20,000 hours of watch time = 110% rakeback minimum and Team RIO status
More details will be explained before the site officially launches, but those who want to get a head start and create a channel can do so before that time. Any players who want or need assistance getting started can wait for the Run It Once team to launch and offer their assistance.
“For anyone reading who’s just decided to stream some RIO Poker,” wrote Galfond, “and especially those of you who would have already, I’m glad we found a way to show our appreciation, and I hope that, for some of you, this is the first step towards achieving your poker dream.”
We’re looking forward to the community’s feedback on this program! If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please join the discussion on @RunItOnce, where we’ve got a dedicated thread for @PhilGalfond’s latest post, #6: “From Stream to River” https://t.co/sVneuycbZ8
— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) November 19, 2018
