2015: A Year of Turmoil and Change in Online Poker

2015 was a year of significant changes and challenges in the online poker industry. PokerStars canceled the increase in commission for playing in January 2015. The new rake structure, announced in October 2014, lasted less than two months. Full Tilt Poker removed several games and changed its table structure in April 2015. The changes included the removal of various game types and the introduction of new table limits.

In August 2015, Full Tilt Poker introduced new restrictions on the number of tables and game selection. Players were limited to opening no more than six tables of the same limit, and repeated attempts to enter games were blocked for 30 minutes. Additionally, all tables with stakes above $15/$30 were closed, and the maximum limit for various games was reduced.

PokerStars introduced a new VIP program called Players Club in 2015, which replaced the previous Supernova Elite status and increased the rake. This move was met with significant backlash from players. Ansky criticized PokerStars for not communicating important changes to players and for using misleading language. Mikhail Mun (Khishtaki) predicted significant changes in the online poker market in 2016-2017, suggesting potential scenarios including the decline of online poker as a mass phenomenon or the emergence of a new competitive poker room.