Microgaming Skin Poker Heaven to Cease Operations

Sometimes the little guys of the poker world run into changing market conditions that prove to be too much for a company’s long-term viability.  That’s the sad story of veteran online poker site Poker Heaven, which has bounced around since it debut way back in 2005, but which has announced that it will close its doors for good on November 12th.  Actual game play via the Microgaming network will cease on that date, though online access to Poker Heaven accounts for withdrawal purposes will be available for another week, through November 19th.

poker-heavenAfter that, Poker Heaven will continue withdrawals for its customers, but will switch to a manual, e-mail based process.

The story of Poker Heaven isn’t much different than a handful of other nomadic sites that gave it a good go, but were never able to achieve critical mass on their own.  Poker Heaven debuted way back in 2005 as a skin on the old St. Minver Limited network, which later became part of the Boss Media operation and included several other fledgling poker skins.

Back in its early days, Poker Heaven was marketed heavily to US and Russian audiences, with the site originally offering English- and Russian-language support.  This writer remembers having played on the site quite a bit back then, assembling reviews for an affiliate site.  In its original form, Poker Heaven included several basic poker variants, plus a couple of charming antiquities of the poker world, in 5-card draw and 5-card stud, plus an odd form of ace-to-five lowball.

It wasn’t Stars or Party, but it was a fun place to visit.  But like a lot of sites, it was impacted by the US’s passage of the 2006 UIGEA, and like many other sites, Poker Heaven embarked on a nomadic trip to several different networks as it tried to build a new US-free audience.  After several years, with Boss, they tried Ongame, but that network’s antiquated software was never going to help draw traffic.

Last year, Poker Heaven finally moved to Microgaming, but it was just too little, too late.  Faced with the ever-increasing presence of balkanized European markets, Poker Heaven just wasn’t able to compete with many of Microgaming’s larger, more established skins.  Sometimes, that’s the way it goes.

Poker Heaven came to its decision with a brief announcement on its site last week, reading, “We need to inform you that from 12th of November 2015, Poker Heaven will be closed. Please check out our Frequently Asked Questions below for further information. If you still can’t find the answer to your query please email [email protected] for further information.

The site is asking its customers to shift to another Microgaming skin, Betsafe, if they wish to continue playing on Microgaming, though they’ll have to withdraw and then re-deposit their bankrolls.

In announcing its closure, Poker Heaven also offered a brief FAQ for its players, which reads as follows:

Why is Poker Heaven closing?

After ten years as a trusted European Poker brand that has focused on enhanced player experience and outstanding customer service, due to increased market regulation across Europe and other environmental factors, PokerHeaven.com will close on November 12th 2015.

When is Poker Heaven closing?

The last day to access the Poker room and play will be Thursday, November 12th although you will be able to login to your account via the website until Wednesday November 19th to withdraw your funds.

Is my money safe?

Absolutely. All player funds are held in a ring-fenced account and are available for you to withdraw from now until 19th November. After 19th November you will still be able to access your funds by emailing [email protected] with your specific account details however we encourage all players to withdraw prior to 19th November to ensure the quickest withdrawal times possible.

What if I don’t withdraw my funds before 19th November?

You will still be able to retrieve any funds after 19th November by emailing [email protected] and supplying relevant account details however you are strongly recommended to withdraw any funds before this date to ensure they are returned as quickly as possible.

Can I still earn loyalty points in November?

No. The Poker Heaven loyalty program has finished as of 1st November. All outstanding loyalty program payments have been made.

What happens to any tournament tickets I have?

You must use any tournament tickets that you have before 12th November as they will be expired after this date.

Where can I continue to play online Poker?

Poker Heaven have teamed up with Betsafe.com so you can continue playing on the exact same Poker software. Sign up by clicking here and you will be eligible for an exclusive offer only available to Poker Heaven players where you will receive a free welcome package

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