November 13th, 2007

Heat Poker Tournaments spell success for Ongame Network

Ongame Network Ltd, a subdivision of the bwin Group and a leading provider of online gaming platforms, has seen an increase of over 200% in the Grand Tournament – the online poker network’s flagship event – following the addition of the innovate Heats feature two months ago.

Thanks to its player-friendly and unique two-day structure, the $1,000 buy-in monthly Grand Tournament has been considered one of the most innovative online poker events on the circuit ever since it first emerged back in 2005. But the recent addition of Heats has drastically spurred its popularity. Just over 220 players participated in August while more than 620 players entered the event in October.

Heats offers players a choice of days in which to commence their quest for the Grand Tournament title and, as such, emulates major offline poker tournaments that also split participation fields over several starting days in order to accommodate all contestants.
While space constraints is the predominant reason why heats, or flights, are implemented in offline games, Ongame Network and its more than 25 poker partner sites developed the concept primarily to increase a player’s accessibility and choice.

“The driving force behind the recent increase in contestants is largely due to the added flight on Fridays, which has become immensely popular,” said Tomer Katz, spokesperson of the Ongame Network.

“We are now looking into the possibility of introducing other innovative features that will spice up the event even further.”

Due to the recent increase in players, the Grand Tournament XIX (23-25 November 2007), will include a $500,000 prize pool guarantee. During this tournament, Heats will run on Friday and Saturday with survivors from the two heats meeting for the traditional final on Sunday. Qualifiers are available across all Ongame Network partner sites.