PokerStars Rolls Out New Rewards Program
PokerStars announced it will be replacing its VIP Club with a new loyalty program dubbed Stars Rewards across all poker clients this week. The new rewards program was introduced to the ring-fenced markets in Italy, Portugal and Spain on July 4, and will be rolled out in the rest of the world, except New Jersey, this week.
The monthly and annual targets that were prominent in the old VIP Club will be replaced with daily targets that are individualized for each player. Players will also earn rewards points across all verticals offered by the online poker room including poker, casino games and sports wagering.
“We have designed an exciting and inclusive program that will appeal to all kinds of players. We aim to make every game count and reward their loyalty whatever they feel like playing,” said Severin Rasset, Director of Poker Innovation and Operations at PokerStars in a press release.
The new program will award players 100 rewards points for every $1 in rake or tournament fees. Rewards points can be redeemed to open one of six chests that provide players rewards. The maximum rewards grow in each subsequent chest opened.
Stars Rewards Maximum Chest Values
- Red Chest – $50 max
- Blue Chest – $100 max
- Bronze Chest – $250 max
- Silver Chest – $500 max
- Gold Chest – $750 max
- Platinum Chest – $1,000 max
PokerStars also plans to tailor the rewards to the time of the year to include entry to WCOOP. PokerStars Festival and PokerStars Championship events. Chests can also include a combination of cash, StarsCoin and rewards points.
The online poker room explained the rationale of its new change as the majority of its players tend to only play a few times a month. The new rewards program will provide these players with instant rewards and the "chance to win big" on the spot. However, it is speculated on many poker forums that the new Stars Rewards program will award less than the VIP Club to professional players and serious grinders.
Here is a look at the frequency of the different prizes that can be won in each chest according to the PokerStars Denmark client where the rewards program was already rolled out.
| Frequency | Red | Blue | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 out of 10,000 | $100 | $100 | $500 | $500 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| 400 out of 10,000 | $0.60 | $1.95 | $5 | $13.25 | $34.50 | $107 |
| 700 out of 10,000 | $0.36 | $1.17 | $3 | $7.95 | $20.70 | $64.20 |
| 1,000 out of 10,000 | $0.12 | $0.39 | $1 | $2.65 | $6.90 | $21.40 |
| 1,200 out of 10,000 | $0.11 | $0.35 | $0.90 | $2.39 | $6.21 | $19.26 |
| 1,400 out of 10,000 | $0.08 | $0.27 | $0.70 | $1.86 | $4.83 | $14.98 |
| 2,000 out of 10,000 | $0.07 | $0.23 | $0.60 | $1.59 | $4.14 | $12.84 |
| 3,299 out of 10,000 | $0.06 | $0.20 | $0.50 | $1.33 | $3.45 | $10.70 |
The introduction of the new rewards program which seemingly awards players more ambiguously and randomly than the previous program comes at an interesting time. Partypoker rolled out a more simplified weekly rewards program in May that awards up to 40 percent rakeback. A few weeks later, partypoker introduced the Diamond Club, for its top volume players that rake at least $100,000 over any 12-month period. Diamond Club benefits include dedicated 24/7 Skype Customer Support and at least 50 percent in rakeback and VIP bonuses.
