The first look at the long-awaited new online poker operator in the US, BetRivers Poker, has been revealed, marking yet another sign that its launch is near.
In the recent poker documentary series titled “GALFOND,” which offers a closer look into the lives of professional poker players Phil Galfond and his wife Farah Galfond, viewers were treated to a glimpse of the upcoming BetRivers Poker US software.
The snapshot, shown for just a couple of seconds, featured Phil Galfond playing under his well-known screenname MRSWEETS28. The interface looked exactly like the Run It Once software retaining some of its unique features such as Cub3d (its jackpot style sit and go product), Dynamic Avatars, and anonymous names, but with BetRivers branding in the middle of the table.
There were also signs of integration with BetRivers’ other verticals, as icons for Casino and Sports Betting were visible on the table itself, along with some new features. But most notably, the appearance of the Pennsylvania Responsible Gambling (RG) logo at the table suggests that testing is underway in preparation for a launch in Pennsylvania.
This all suggests that the online poker platform constructed under Galfond and set to be released under the BetRivers brand is in the final stages of development, though the timeframe for its launch remains unknown.
Two Years in the Making
BetRivers Poker, as we know, has been under development for over two years. In 2022, BetRivers’ parent company Rush Street Interactive (RSI) acquired the assets of Phil Galfond’s Run It Once (RIO) Poker. This acquisition, valued at $5.8 million, included RIO’s platform, its team, and Galfond himself. The goal was to enter the regulated US online poker market and integrate the platform with the existing BetRivers casino and sports betting operations.
This integration will create vast cross-selling opportunities for the online poker vertical, giving access to a massive player base that Run It Once Poker lacked when it operated in the global dot-com market from 2019 to 2022.
While the company has remained tight-lipped about its online poker plans for the past two years, behind the scenes, significant progress has been made. For instance, RSI has been actively recruiting poker executives, recently hiring two key poker directors and looking to add at least one full-stack engineer to its poker development team.
It is also preparing to launch online poker in Pennsylvania, regardless of whether the state joins the multi-state online poker compact, pokerfuse understands. David Grubb, a poker room manager for Rivers Casino Philadelphia, the partner of BetRivers PA, has been seeking feedback from the online poker community in the Keystone State, indicating ongoing efforts to fine-tune the platform for a successful debut.
GALFOND Documentary Series
Now, in another sign that the BetRivers online poker app is close to launching, a still from the BetRivers Poker platform appeared in the four-episode documentary series titled “GALFOND,” co-produced by Phil Galfond and Farah Galfond. The first episode premiered on June 28.
This high-quality production offers an intimate look into Galfond’s journey, both as a successful high-stakes poker player and as an entrepreneur facing the challenges of the business world. Particularly noteworthy is Episode 2: “A Bad Day,” where Galfond candidly shares his experiences with failure and the subsequent lessons learned. The episode mainly focuses on how he burned $10 million keeping Run It Once Poker afloat.
Amidst the personal anecdotes and reflections, the episode also offers a tantalizing glimpse of the BetRivers Poker software, marking the first public reveal of the rebranded platform.
What Will BetRivers Poker Look Like?
As stated above, the software closely mirrors the original Run It Once Poker design, retaining some of the innovations that set it apart from other online poker rooms. The unique Dynamic Avatars, a system where players have a random avatar with a unique expression based on their recently observed play style, coupled with randomized table aliases, have been retained, as per the still shown in the documentary series.
However, it appears that the new platform will not support the built-in Heads-Up Display (HUD) feature, previously available at Run It Once under the name HeroIQ, likely due to US regulations.
Galfond was seen playing a $5 buy-in NLHE SNG CUB3D, Run It Once Poker’s unique take on lottery-style sit-and-gos. This innovative sit-and-go concept, which ran under the moniker SNG Select, offered players the choice to play a three-handed, winner-takes-all, hyper-structure sit-and-go in one of two ways: either “Classic,” with the usual fixed first-place prize, or as a lottery sit-and-go, dubbed Cub3d, where the first-place prize was randomized and only revealed at the end of the tournament.
Gameplay of Run It Once Poker’s Cub3d
Some features not present in the original Run It Once Poker app but available on the new BetRivers Poker platform include a hand replayer, a session timer, and an option to maximize the table. Additionally, it appears that the betting buttons have been revamped.
One of the most striking aspects of the preview is the presence of casino and sports betting icons on the poker table, indicating a seamless integration of these verticals within the poker platform, as was expected.
Another key detail from the documentary is the inclusion of the Pennsylvania Responsible Gambling (RG) logo within the software interface. This further illustrates that BetRivers Poker is eyeing a launch in Pennsylvania. The presence of the RG logo indicates that the platform is not only nearing readiness, but is also undergoing rigorous internal testing to meet Pennsylvania’s regulatory requirements.
It remains to be seen when BetRivers Poker will go live. However, based on all the recent developments, we expect the new online poker platform to launch later this year or early in 2025.