In May 2016, PokerStars transformed into a “network” for the first time after adding Full Tilt Poker onto its platform. As part of the migration, Full Tilt shared the same games, rewards system, and player pool as PokerStars. The site maintained its classic features and table themes and also retained its own name, allowing it to operate under its own branding.
However on February 25, Full Tilt will no longer be accessible, following a decision by PokerStars to completely terminate all its assets. According to a FAQ page on the PokerStars’ website, shelving Full Tilt is in line with the site’s efforts to consolidate brands in order to improve its offerings and customer experience.
Migration to PokerStars
From Feb 25, 2021, the Full Tilt software will no longer be active but players will still be able to access their accounts via the PokerStars platform.
They may log in to the PokerStars’ desktop or mobile app using the same Full Tilt username and password, and their account info, balances, and bonuses will also be migrated to the site. Players can make the switch anytime they like, even before February 25.
Players will have access to the same games on Full Tilt, and will also now enjoy other new game offerings and features that are exclusive only to PokerStars. This means they’ll have expanded options upon migrating to the PokerStars platform.
PokerStars actually began the Full Tilt shutdown process in October 2020, when it retired the FullTilt.EU desktop and mobile software, migrating its players to PokerStars.EU. The Full Tilt website across the dot-com market had also been simplified, with players being redirected to PokerStars when clicking the links and buttons on Full Tilt’s web pages.
It’s unclear as of this writing whether the Full Tilt.com website will still remain after the software is terminated.
Full Tilt History
Full Tilt started its operations back in 2004. Some of the biggest names in poker were behind its inception, including Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Raymond Bitar, Mike Matusow, Howard Lederer, and others.
The involvement of these prominent figures, coupled with creative marketing and branding and its impressive software, allowed the site to soar past its competitors, to become the second largest online poker site in the world, next only to PokerStars.
The online poker room was joined by poker legends Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, and Viktor “Isildur” Blom as brand ambassadors, all of whom also participated in some of the highest stakes cash games in online poker history which were hosted by the site.
The site’s software which utilized avatars and animations also earned praises especially from casual players. It became the go-to place for tournament grinders wanting to make it big in the game.
Full Tilt played a key role in revolutionizing online poker. It was responsible for the creation of Rush Poker, a fast-fold poker variant that remains widely popular and has become a mainstay across online poker sites today.
Everything was going well for the site until 2011 when Black Friday exposed its internal issues.
As federal authorities moved to shut down illegal poker sites operating in the country, it was discovered that Full Tilt had accumulated player balances of $390 million, $150 million of that belonged to US players. It only had $60 million cash on hand, which was not enough to cover all of its player liabilities.
PokerStars later acquired Full Tilt, and made all of its players whole.
In the years that followed, there had been efforts to bring Full Tilt back to its glory days, but to no avail. In 2016, the Stars Group decided to integrate the site onto the PokerStars platform, but even so, the once beloved brand failed to make an impact in the poker world.
The Full Tilt brand will soon become a thing of the past, but the bitter-sweet memories will remain for those who became part of its success and ultimate downfall.