Everest Poker will end its independence and join Playtech’s iPoker Network, according to Pokerfuse. No date for the move has been released. iPoker ranks as the second largest online poker network in the world in terms of cash game players according to PokerScout and sits behind only PokerStars.

Where iPoker stands to gain most, though, is at its French-only network, iPoker.fr, on which real money ring traffic is almost non-existent. Even though EverestPoker.fr is not particularly a high flyer, ranking just 15th on PokerScout’s charts with a seven-day average of 650 cash game players, it will still boost the numbers of iPoker.fr by a factor of more than 20.

On the flip side, EverestPoker.com will be the beneficiary of the move on the “rest-of-world” side, as it sports just 570 cash game players on average. Compare this to the main iPoker Network’s 2,800 players and it is easy to see why EverestPoker.com players should be excited.

Several years ago, Everest Poker looked like it might become a major player in the online poker industry. It wasn’t likely to reach PokerStarsor Full Tilt Poker, but it was making strides, cracking PokerScout’s top ten and generally getting positive reviews from customers. It was not able to keep the momentum going, though, particularly after splitting off its French-only site. Compared to the same time last year, EverestPoker.com has seen its cash game traffic fall 34%.

Everest’s absorption into iPoker is made even more interesting with the upcoming segregation of player pools by the network. Beginning September 1, iPoker will split into two networks based on player liquidity. The network’s top performing sites will occupy “iPoker 2,” as many are calling it.

According to PokerNewsReport, in order to gain entry into iPoker 2, a network skin must have a minimum of 6,000 active players and enroll at least 850 new customers per month, each of whom must generate at least $5 in rake. Other factors will be included, such as the ratio of depositors to withdrawers.

The idea behind the decision is essentially to reward those rooms that bring in and keep the most recreational players. Serious amateurs and professional grinders tend to win money from the recreational players, eventually cashing that money out and removing it from the network. Recreational players, on the other hand, reload more frequently and don’t take advantage of loyalty programs and other rewards.

Perhaps because the powers that be realized that unprofitable players on non-iPoker 2 sites would simply leave those sites and sign up at iPoker 2 rooms, the player pool segregation will not be across every game and every table. The split will only be at No Limit Hold’em tables up to $2/$4. Only select sit and go tournaments will be restricted to iPoker 2 sites and all satellites and multi-table tournaments will accept players from every site.

There has been no official announcement by the iPoker Network on which skins will fill which divisions, but a Poker770 representative told the members of the Two Plus Two forum that five rooms have been selected to be a part of iPoker2 so far: William Hill, Titan Poker, Poker770, Bet365, and Paddy Power Poker.

It is unknown at this time whether or not Everest Poker will make the “big leagues” once it joins the iPoker Network.