PokerTracker, Hold’em Manager Announce Merger
Two of the largest third-party online poker software providers have announced a merger designed to help streamline and optimize programming and increase capabilities for end users. PokerTracker Software and CardRunners Gaming, the parent company of Hold’em Manager, have announced a business merger agreement and the formation of a new company, Max Value Software, LLC.
The deal was reached under the guidance of leading partners for both companies — Derek Charles for PokerTracker and Jim Varnon for CardRunners Gaming. Financial specifics of the business deal were not released. The new company, which will be referred to as MVS, will continue to offer and support both of the component companies’ primary products.
Poker Tracker 4 (PT4) is the latest version of that company’s software, with PT5 in the development stages, while Hold’em Manager 3 (HEM3) has also been announced; Hold’em Manager 2 remains that brand’s active version. A new Cloud-based storage platform has also been announced for both products and awaits full implementation, with those plans proceeding uninterrupted under the merger announced today.
FlushDraw obtained a statement directly from a PokerTracker spokesman offering additional details on the deal. According to that statement:
Today two leaders in the creation of poker-analysis software, PokerTracker Software and CardRunners Gaming, entered into a business merger agreement, resulting in the new company Max Value Software, LLC or MVS for short. MVS will serve both products as the behind-the-scenes parent corporation.
According to Derek Charles, PokerTracker’s representing partner, “The two brands will continue to be how we position the company in the eyes of the industry and players. This business merger allows for us to combine the experience and resources from both the PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager teams.
“The merger will also allow us to reach new online poker customers and improve development response times that neither of the two products could have achieved independently.”
Hold’em Manager has already created a FAQ page regarding the merger, including assurances to existing customers that no price increases are planned. In response to the possible question of why the merger occurred, Hold’em Manager’s executives expressed very similar thoughts.
“There was an overlap in technology, support and infastructure between the two companies,” reads the company’s statement. “By merging into one company, we believe we are better positioned today and into the future to provide the best possible online poker software because of … the combined experience of the two teams in developing and supporting software for online poker players … the efficiencies and scale created by the merger which will allow us to invest even more into improving our products.”
Sources for both companies stated that the visible effects of the corporate merger would be very minimal for existing customers. The HEM statement continued by noting that both products will maintain independent development teams, and that the parent companies “will gradually cross train support teams for both products. However, this integration will take time as we ensure that we maintain the high standards that [customers] have come to expect from both the PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager teams.”
Poker-analysis tools are widely accepted by most major networks and have been implemented by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of online poker players. Though decried by some, the economic impact of such live-time analytical aids within the online-poker world cannot be disputed. HUDs (heads-up displays, as they are often referred to), dramatically increase players’ ability to multi-table, and thus increase the number of total poker tables and seats being occupied on those networks that allow their use.
Poker Tracker and HEM are among the market leaders in this software niche, with the deal expected to provide additional marketing opportunities and programming capabilities for both brands.
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