POKER SKINS & POKER NETWORKS

It is common you hear online poker players ask "Which network is that poker room part of?". On this page we will describe the difference between a poker skin, a poker room and a poker network.

What is a Poker Skin?

Anyone with enough money can buy a domain and open a poker skin on one of the many networks in the world. Typically a poker skin is also referred to as a white label. A poker skin is on a network with a custom made design enabling a company to brand its own name. White labels & poker skins do not handle any of the bank processing in regards to deposits and withdraws of player funds.

A poker skin's sole purpose is to do marketing and drive traffic to its website. The value of a poker skin depends entirely on its player base and brand value. The more well-known it is and the higher revenues it has the more its worth. If a poker skin has neither of the two it is worthless similar to a shell-company with no stocks or funds.

What is a Online Poker Room?

A poker room is categorized as an operator who has its own brand, player base and handle its own processing of player funds. A company that handles its own processing essentially has more power and control compared to a basic poker skin. Poker rooms are usually bigger than poker skins. In some cases poker rooms have their own software like PokerStars.

Poker rooms are allowed to handle its own processing despite being on a network owned by a different company. Beware that the network does not guarantee the money and does not insure you that the funds are segregated. You need to find a poker room that you trust before depositing.

What is a Poker Network?

When you discuss which network is the biggest in the world its a discussion of definitions.  Is PokerStars the biggest poker room in the world? The answer is yes! Is PokerStars the biggest standalone network in the world? Yes, however PokerStars is not a network or a platform with multiple skins & poker rooms. We can define it as a network or a platform with only one brand named PokerStars.

In the beginning of online poker history all poker rooms where standalone poker rooms typically with its own software. It wasn't until the early 00's that networks started to appear. A poker network is a software company that provides poker rooms and poker skins a software which connects many poker rooms to the same platform and thereby same tables. This way the poker networks can guarantee higher liquidity as many small and big operations share their player pool.

The biggest network in the world in the year 2012 is iPoker Network with 42 poker rooms and poker skins on the network. Other famous networks are Ongame & Microgaming.