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Chilipoker recently launched an "instant poker" application. What is "instant poker?" How successful has "instant poker" been? Does it convert better than the "regular" Chilipoker application?

It appeals to a lot of players that have had no choice but to play on some of the bigger sites with Mac compatible platforms. It is basically just giving Mac plIayers more choice, which is always a good thing.

How important are player loyalty programs for retention? What do players like best about Chilipoker's frequent player points system?

Loyalty programs are what players invest into, so it is extremely important that they know they are getting value out of a program. If a player knows that he is getting rewarded fairly for his play he will continue playing. At Chili we have a very good, personalized loyalty program. Players like the fact that at Chili the FPP’s take into account not only how much a player plays, but also what they play and the style they play – i.e. fast, slow, tight, aggressive.

The Share The Chili Web site mentions an affiliate loyalty program. What is it?

Well, this is something we are revising at the moment as a team. First of all we have changed the stones for Chili’s, which seemed like a logical choice. I wanted to actually test the heat of each Chili and put them in order, but we had to make do with trusting YouTube clips of people eating a Habeneros or Jalapeno. From the face it looked like the hottest Chili was a Habeneros for sure. At the bottom end we will be offering things such as freerolls, cash and merchandise – things that smaller affiliates can really make the most of. For our bigger affiliates, the Habeneros ones, we will be offering trips abroad, buy-ins to live events and other things. We want it to really appeal to each affiliate individually and that is something we are working on now.

Share The Chili doesn't offer rakeback. What prompted you to go in this direction? What do you think of the results so far?

Well this is an iPoker policy. Not being able to offer rakeback has its advantages though. It gets to the point where affiliates are simply auctioning off their players to the highest rakeback bidder, when this is not the way things should work at all. There should be a much more creative aspect to finding ways to get traffic and convert players. Often other promotional offers outweigh the value players get from rakeback anyway, but rakeback is like a safety net, a comfort zone for players. I like to think that sites have more imagination in their marketing strategies than relying solely on rakeback. And the results for us have been great. It just means we have to think more outside the box – which is what marketing should really be about.

You offer an XML tournament feed. How popular has this been with affiliates?

It is picking up now. Affiliates have started realizing its potential and are making space for the feeds. A lot of sites have tournament sections and having one or a few Tournament feeds really gets a players attention. For a poker player it is like reading the TV Times.

In your mind, what’s more difficult, attracting players or retaining them?

So many factors come into it that it is hard to say exactly. I think attracting new players can be the hardest thing, but it is becoming increasingly easier the more visible Chilipoker becomes. I think after the WPT Marrakech it will get even easier, as these big events really give exposure to the right people. Retaining players -- provided you listen to them and talk to them sincerely -- is not as difficult. Affiliates want to do the best for their players to keep them playing, and in turn I do the best I can do for my affiliate. It is a synergy that works only if all the elements work together.


How can affiliates help in retaining players?

Affiliates should be as hands on as they can be. If an affiliate knows the players personally then they just need to keep in contact all the time. Just letting a player know about a new promotion once a month via msn or on the phone does a lot to keep that players confidence in the affiliate and the site. Optimizing what we have is what will also keep the players there, ensuring they are fully aware of our MyStats feature, the regular promotions, things like Rake races. Affiliates need to know what is on offer and take full advantage of it, and promote it in a way that appeals to their players. What works for one player does not always work for another play. Adaptability is essential for affiliates.

Most of the affiliate managers we talk to say building trust with their affiliates is critical to success. How do you go about building trust with your affiliates?

It is all about how you approach it. If we just contact them asking them to sign up for a great commission scheme it just doesn’t work. The key is to not always talk about business. I have always found that the easiest affiliates to build a relationship with are the ones where we learn from each other. I can suggest something for their site they may not know about and they may have an idea about what they think will work, a healthy exchange of ideas and banter is what works. There is also nothing more satisfying that helping an affiliate from scratch and watching them develop. With these sorts of affiliates they are always more willing to go the extra mile for you as they can see you’ve done the same for them.

Besides trust, what are the keys to building successful relationships between affiliates and affiliate programs?

Apart from the ground level stuff, like payments on time, good support and regular information a successful relationship is built on a mutual understanding of what makes their affiliate business work and grow. You have to approach each affiliate as an individual.

How long have you been in the online gambling industry? Why did you decide to enter the field?

I have been working for the online gambling industry for about five years. After I finished my degree I pretty much just played poker. I was playing about two live tournaments a week and the rest of the time cash online, but it got to the point where I just was not enjoying it. I was winning but not enough to make plans or consider anything long term. So I decided it would be more interesting to work on the other side for awhile and see what goes on inside the business. I was a poker agent and poker manager for nearly two years and then became more interested in the marketing side of things. It is more creative and you can really put across ideas more. I am very interested in the idea of brands and what makes one brand work and another fail. I still play poker, but I have a girlfriend and a one year old boy so I have less incentive to play for long hours. It is now mainly for the entertainment value which also gives me more freedom to play imaginatively.

If you wish you knew one thing about the industry before you entered it, what would it be?

I wish I had known about Affiliate marketing when I first got into it. At the time, even though I had been playing for a long time, I really did not understand it. I probably would have gone straight into the marketing side rather than the Support side if I had known. But then again I learnt a lot about the industry and what players want and expect.

What advice do you have to someone just starting in the industry?

I would say to know your product inside out at whatever level. If you can deal with customers and talk to them on their level then things are so much easier.


If you could have dinner with three other people, living or dead, who would they be and why?

I think Hunter S. Thompson should be there, because then however boring the other two are then he’d make up for it. I would let him cook desert too. Alfred Hitchcock would be fun to have there. He’d bring some suspense to the table and he’d finish off the leftovers. Chris Morris as my third choice I think. You would never know what was coming. I don’t know if everybody would survive this dinner.


What’s the best kind of food for the beach? And why?

Last time I went to the beach I could not walk for a week afterwards. I was raw along my right side and passed out from the pain. So I’m not too sure, something very cold that I can use as an icepack too. Maybe just lots of frozen fruits, it’s what they give monkeys in the zoo when there’s a heat wave, so it’ll do for me.

What is the last book you read? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?

I am a proper bookworm. I try to read a lot of different things, the last books I read were “Madness: A Brief History by Roy Porter,” some Chekhov short stories and a really good book called “Pop.1280” by Jim Thomson. I really enjoyed that one. The main character, a psychopathic sherriff called Nick Corey, is probably the nastiest and nicest psycho ever written.

What is your favorite movie? And why?

If you were dangling me off a cliff for an answer I would say “North by Northwest,” mainly just because you were dangling me off a cliff.

If you could change one thing about the online gaming industry, what would it be?

I’m pretty happy with the way things run. Nothing is ever perfect, but what is? If anything I would try and make a promotion where bankroll management is rewarded. It seems like an odd idea, but it is a much better way of getting rake and a better way for players to learn. A lot of promotions make players go broke because they are chasing a rake race or trying too hard to release a pending bonus.

What are three things that no one knows about you?

That is impossible really, because my girlfriend knows everything about me. I will take ‘no one’ as meaning anyone reading GPWA. 1) I am a blues guitarist. 2) I studied in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for six months and I was the only person to the win the Student Union Poker Championship two times. (Unfortunately I missed the final because I’d been kicked out for not going to any classes for 5 of those 6 months.) 3) I managed to escape the U.K. and fly to Gibraltar on a bet that lace Italy would win the World Cup. Most of the staff at Chili is French so I choose not to mention this very often (thanks Zidane!).