BigBetPoker.com Closing at End of January

BigBetPoker.com is joining the long list of failed online poker rooms, as the site will be closing its doors by the end of the month. The site, which was part of the Merge Gaming Network, has advised players to withdraw their money from their accounts by January 31.

BigBetPoker.com opened in March 2009. It was launched by David Holdsworth, a software developer who partnered with gaming software experts to create a company known as Poker Inc. The site opened as a member of the Merge Network, alongside larger sites such as Carbon Poker, Sportsbook.com, and Poker Nordica.

However, business never picked up for BigBetPoker.com, which struggled to develop a player base. The Merge Network as a whole is a relatively small network, and there were few players reaching the network through Big Bet Poker.

“Over the last two years, we gave poker our best shot but in the end determined that several factors made an early exit from the market the smart choice,” said Jay Parcells of BigBetPoker.com. “We know this comes as a surprise to many of our partners who joined on in the last year and we apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

Interestingly, this wasn’t the first attempt at creating a poker site at the URL BigBetPoker.com. Another group had previously launched a real money poker site there, which ultimately ceased operations in 2004.

The Merge Gaming Network has become well known for its unique software features, such as the ability to “run it twice” in many no limit cash games, and the ability to expose one card or rabbit hunt. The network was founded in Australia, and now features over 60 different poker rooms.