More than seven months has passed since poker prom Phil Galfond launched his Run It Once Poker website. Galfond tested out the site himself recently and shared his thoughts on what he likes about it and what areas needed to be worked on.
Twitch Streaming Results In Traffic Boost  
Galfond documented his entire play on the site by streaming his play for a number of hours over the last two weeks. He competed on RIO against his fans and other small-stakes players. While the rest of the players made use of screen names to conceal their identities at the tables, Galfond did the opposite and competed without using any table alias. He took part in both small and bigger stakes in an effort to play with as many players as possible. Galdfond’s fans all over the world have been following his RIO experience through the poker site’s Twitch.
As expected, traffic numbers on RIO spiked the whole time Galfond was playing. Many players were not able to resist the site’s latest promo which involved staking Galfond for at least 100 big blinds and getting a €20 bonus in return.
Players, especially in the small-stakes games, were not only able to play with one of the best poker pros in the world, they also got the chance to get an extra €20 and boost their bankroll. With a bounty attached to Galfond’s head, traffic levels reached maximum levels, significantly higher than before Galfond started streaming.
The three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner streamed around 40 hours of play and for that duration there were around 300 concurrent cash game players on the site. The poker pro said the figures showed that players definitely wanted a chance to play with him. Galfond said if the response continues to be positive, he might consider taking a regular streaming gig on RIO, though for now he has to temporarily halt playing on RIO due to his travels.
Satisfied With RIO Experience
Writing on his blog, Galfond said experiencing and seeing things on RIO for himself opened his eyes to a few things. He said he enjoyed playing on the app and that the site has improved a lot since it first opened its doors to the public. While he did not encounter any system issues, Galfond did not discount the possibility that some players may have had an opposite experience. The RIO team are currently working on ironing out all software issues.
The Maryland native event boasted that RIO could very well sit on top of the list of poker sites and have the best poker platform experience a year from now. Galfond also said that the site’s userbase has become more recreational, contrary to initial expectations.
Galfond also reached out to players through the company’s Twitch channel to get their feedback. He also talked in private to a number of users over the last month. During the process, Galfond said he found out that RIO’s policies are working but acknowledged that there were bound to be issues from time to time. He also admitted that RIO is not profitable at the moment but said he is completely satisfied with where it is right now.
While Galfond stated pre-launch that the games would be tough on the players, he has now taken a different route, saying the games were actually very soft. He came to this conclusion based on the feedback his communication with players and fans via Twitch and Discord. Galfond also found out that RIO’s Splash the Pot rakeback system isn’t sitting too well with many grinders. The lack of table selection features and not being able to play short have also pushed them away as a result.
Galfond Looks for More Feedback
Going forward, Galfond said he wants more feedback to improve RIO’s offering and provide a better poker experience for everyone involved. He has launched a poker survey to gain specific insight into different aspects of RIO. So far the feedback has been rather positive. Galfond is determined to do what it takes to achieve his goal of building the best poker site in the world and player feedback is critical in achieving this goal!