Warning - Aced Poker Cookie Tracking

[Trikkur]

Ok, I'm not expecting this to be taken too well because everyone is friends with Brandon on these forums. Unfortunately I need to warn other affiliates about how Aced Poker tracks and why it's totally wrong.

I run PokerTrikz.com and a member of my site was looking for new rakeback deals. I told him that he should check out Aced Poker because they were an up and coming Merge site.

Later that day, he e-mails me and tells me he is going to sign up but is wondering why my site is only offering a 100% bonus instead of the 200% other sites are offering. Well if you have promoted Aced Poker, you know their bonus has recently changed to only the 100%. I explained to him the change in bonus offers and how the most he could get was 100%. He said okay, clicked my link, downloaded the software and deposited.

He e-mailed Aced support to make sure he was signed up correctly (this is fairly common in the rakeback industry), but they told him no. He was currently attached to another affiliate and didn't have rakeback.

Now I've got a player that was referred by me, used my link to download the software, expected to get rakeback; and yet isn't tracked to me nor doesn't have rakeback.

I can understand cookie tracking instead of bonus code tracking, but using first cookie in the last 30 days is only going to cause massive problems for rakeback affiliates and players alike. I now have to explain to my player that he won't be getting rakeback. So all rakeback affiliates out there, I warn you to be very careful with promoting Aced Poker because your players are going to be pissed when Aced isn't giving them rakeback, yet they used your link to go to the site and download the software.

[Kurt]

Have you tried contacting Brandon about this? I am sure he would be happy to look into it for you and answer your questions regarding the cookie tracking issue.

I myself have only recently started working with him but I believe that if you send him a PM regarding this issue he would react accordingly and possibly you could find the problem that lead to your player not being attached to you (maybe it is indeed a cookie issue as you suggested, I must admit I have no insight into Aced and their tracking).

Still I would suggest contacting the AM of a poker room first, it is just a more polite way to deal with things. And if there is indeed still a problem afterwards you can still come out and post publically. But these are only my 2 cents.

Hope everything will get sorted out and you will get the player attached to you!

[Graham]

Based on what you said it sounds like you told him about Aced, he searched google found a 200% offer and clicked that link, then came back to you and you convinced him to signup. Other affiliate's cookie is still tracking though... it sucks, but in future get player to clear cookies first before downloading.

[Trikkur]

Yes I have talked to Brandon. The crazy thing is, I even contacted Brandon BEFORE the player signed up. The player wanted to know what was up with some sites being able to offer 200% while PokerTrikz was only allowed to offer 100% bonus. I tried to PM brandon about it, but he was away in Amsterdam. I knew that the bonus has recently changed to only 100% so I told my player that. He said ok, used my link and signed up. He submitted his player info to me through PokerTrikz. Then when he started talking to Aced support they told him that he wasn't tracked properly. Brandon just got back from Amsterdam today and even though I was asking him questions about this player BEFORE he ever even signed up, apparently nothing can be done.

Now I've got to be the one that looks like a dick and tell my player that Aced won't let him have rakeback even though he came through my site. It make PokerTrikz look like we aren't doing our job because Aced has backwards cookie tracking for rakeback affiliates.

[Giorgio]

Yup - totally fair how Aced does it IMO. That player found Aced before you've sent him and therefor the other site is (and should be) credited for him.

And... this could easily turn out in one of those cookie/bonus code arguments again... I would just resolve this with Brandon personally.

[Trikkur]

Based on what you said it sounds like you told him about Aced, he searched google found a 200% offer and clicked that link, then came back to you and you convinced him to signup. Other affiliate's cookie is still tracking though... it sucks, but in future get player to clear cookies first before downloading.

Telling players to clear cookies is heavily looked down upon and outlawed by most poker rooms. This is why I don't have that on my website and why Rakeback affiliates should not be using first cookie order, but last cookie.

[Trikkur]

Yup - totally fair how Aced does it IMO. That player found Aced before you've sent him and therefor the other site is (and should be) credited for him.

And... this could easily turn out in one of those cookie/bonus code arguments again... I would just resolve this with Brandon personally.

Did you even read any of this post. The player DID NOT FIND ACED before me. I referred him since he's been a member of my site for a while, then he looked around at other sites since I was running the true 100% offer while other sites were using outdated information at 200% bonus. Aced is rewarding affilaites that don't update their bonus information and my players are getting screwed because of it.

And yes, I did talk to Brandon and he refuses to help even though it took him days to respond to me. I understand he was in Amsterdam (I wish I would of been there too) but at the same time it's pretty obvious that the player has wanted to sign up for rakeback through me and the cookie tracking is causing problem.

I would be a lot less pissed off if other sites weren't offering higher bonuses that are not true. And if my player could at least get rakeback. The player tried to sign up for it and can't have it now. Even if they track to the other site, at least let my player have rakeback. (Obviously, I'll still be mad he's not tracked to me, but it's better than screwing the player)

[Graham]

Telling players to clear cookies is heavily looked down upon and outlawed by most poker rooms. This is why I don't have that on my website and why Rakeback affiliates should not be using first cookie order, but last cookie.

I somewhat agree that it may not be right, but there are some cases where it should be done. For example, if the player got cookie stuffed by a pop-up, should that pop-up get credit? I run leagues for some of my sites and though I don't really do it, I probably should, I am the one actually CONVINCING the player to sign up, and though they may have clicked a banner before, that banner never made them sign-up, so why should they get the credit. I don't think I'd deserve that if the user clicked a banner on my site and never signed up. Basically my point is, when you are the one definitely convincing a player to signup at a room, I don't see a problem with telling them to clear their cookies.

[Trikkur]

I agree, but at the same time, I'm not going to lower my business ethics because Aced Poker doesn't know how to track players. This is exactly the reason that I'm warning affiliates of how Aced Poker tracks your players. Everyone should know that they better tell their players to clear cookies if they want credit. It's pretty sickening we have to do this because of this type of tracking.

I somewhat agree that it may not be right, but there are some cases where it should be done. For example, if the player got cookie stuffed by a pop-up, should that pop-up get credit? I run leagues for some of my sites and though I don't really do it, I probably should, I am the one actually CONVINCING the player to sign up, and though they may have clicked a banner before, that banner never made them sign-up, so why should they get the credit. I don't think I'd deserve that if the user clicked a banner on my site and never signed up. Basically my point is, when you are the one definitely convincing a player to signup at a room, I don't see a problem with telling them to clear their cookies.

[Graham]

I agree, but at the same time, I'm not going to lower my business ethics because Aced Poker doesn't know how to track players. This is exactly the reason that I'm warning affiliates of how Aced Poker tracks your players. Everyone should know that they better tell their players to clear cookies if they want credit. It's pretty sickening we have to do this because of this type of tracking.

Its not a matter of lowering your business ethics, or bad tracking. Based on the example you provided, the tracking seems to be working as designed. Are you 100% sure the player clicked your link before ever visiting aced poker before? If player clicks one sites banner, that site will have the cookie stored, then if he goes to other site because the first site is offering an incorrect offer, he will still have the cookie from site 1. I think I am lost or you forgot to mention some other details. Just because you tell a player to check out a site, doesn't mean they will click your banners and get tracked.