PokerStars Set to Usher in New Era of Rewards Program; Get Up to 60% Rakeback
Flexibility and transparency are the perfect words to describe the latest revision of the PokerStars Rewards program, set to be launched January 22. PokerStars is changing the way it rewards its loyal player base, and PokerNews has had a sneak peak into what the program entails for PokerStars players of all levels.
PokerStars continues to be open with the way it communicates with its players, offering support via Discord, hosting forums, and inviting everyone to share feedback and constructive criticism with its teams. And it’s with the help of this transparency that the new PokerStars rewards program has been carefully put together.
Chris Straghalis, Director of Online Poker Experience at PokerStars, explained to PokerNews what PokerStars means by making its new reward program more transparent.
"Rewards programs tend to be quite convoluted or complicated. We wanted to get back to the roots of 'do X and get Y'. Previously, players received a rakeback challenge, but the size and requirements changed, so players didn't know what to expect. Under our new rewards program, players know if they play a certain volume, they will get a specific rakeback rate and be rewarded the same way every time."
Under the new PokerStars rewards program, rakeback missions and challenges are no more. While Weekly Challenges proved popular with some players, data shows that a large percentage of PokerStars players never completed them and went unrewarded for their play.
Now, every cent a player contributes to the cash game rake and pays in tournament fees is rewarded. This not only improves players' bottom line but the removal of Challenges gives every PokerStars player increased flexibility. They no longer need to dedicate several hours or sometimes most of a week to grinding to receive cash rewards, they will now be rewarded for their level of play throughout each calendar month.
Players Rewarded Every Day
It is a common misconception that players on online poker sites generate vast sums of rake. You may be surprised to learnt that almost half of PokerStars' player base were not rewarded under the previous rewards scheme. Previously, player had to rake $3.33 to receive a $0.50 in rakeback, but now everyone in the lower tiers receives a daily $0.50 Power Path ticket just for logging into their accounts. This adds up to $15.50 in value every month, giving something to the lower-volume players.
"Bringing in more casual players and keeping them engaged is what makes online poker thrive"
Power Path opens the door to players competing in events and tournaments they could only previously dream about playing, in addition to allowing PokerStars to increase their generosity.
"Bringing in more casual players and keeping them engaged is what makes online poker thrive, and that's what Power Path is designed to do" explained Straghalis. "Giving everyone a Power Path ticket increases the generosity of the Power Path promotion itself. For example, during last month's New year Series, we gave away $160,000 in additional New Year Series tickets through Power Path.
Here's What You Can Win With PokerStars Power Path!
"It's not just the direct $0.50 reward players are receiving because we regularly add additional step tickets and sometimes Gold, Silver, and Gold Passes making their Power Path tickets more valuable."
New Select and Select Plus Tiers
PokerStars previous program featured six levels with players in these tiers rewarded with between 15-25% rakeback then had the chance to increase their rakeback by 10-40% through weekly challenges.
The new PokerStars rewards program has eight tiers, including new additions Select and Select Plus.
As mentioned earlier, PokerStars players in the Blue rewards level had to rake at least $3.33 to receive $0.50 in rakeback, the equivalent of 15% rakeback. Under the new system, the same Blue players bank a $0.50 Power Path ticket each day they log into their accounts.
Two new levels come into play in the new PokerStars Rewards program, Select and Select Plus. Reaching the Select level requires you to generate between $50,000 and $100,000 in rake in a year, resulting in 50% rakeback and access to promotions exclusive to select players.
Anyone generating more than $100,000 in rake in a year is invited to become a Select Plus member. The base rate for rakeback is 50%, increasing to 60% for play in Zoom games and Spin & Gos. Again, Select Plus players will see exclusive promotions on they can compete in.
New PokerStars Reward Program Schedule
| Level | Rake ($) per Month | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 0-19 | Daily Reward |
| Blue | 20-59 | 15% rakeback + Daily Reward |
| Bronze | 60-199 | 17.5% rakeback + Daily Reward |
| Silver | 200-499 | 20% rakeback |
| Gold | 500-1,200 | 25% rakeback |
| Diamond | 1,200-2,500 | 30% rakeback |
| Black | 2,500+ | 40% rakeback |
| Select | 50,000-100,000 a year | 50% |
| Select Plus | 100,000+ a year | 50% base (60% for Spin & Go and Zoom) |
Both Select and Select Plus customers will also receive additional exclusive promotions
Included markets:
COM, BG, EE, ES, EU, GR, UK
Excluded markets:
RO (pending regulatory approval)
BE, CH, CZ, DE, DK, FE, IT, PT
Austria is included in the new program. However, Austrians are not eligible for the Select and Select Plus tiers. In addition, reward points are eared at a rate of 70 per $1 in rake rather than 100. This results in rewards ranging from 10.5%-28%
How Does The New PokerStars Reward System Compare?
The most significant improvement to the new PokerStars Rewards program is the removal of challenges and ensuring every cent of rake is rewarded. For example, under the old program, a player generating $250 of rake in a month would receive 18.5% rakeback for, and receive challenges that could add 10-40% more to their haul. However, as we mentioned earlier, many players never completed those challenges so they were effectively left with a flat rate of 18.5% rakeback.
Using the new system, players generating the same $250 would reach Silver status and receive 20% rakeback on that $250. Someone generating $274 in rake will receive 20% rakeback on that $274, not 18.5% and the chance to boost it through challenges. If you want to earn X amount of rakeback, you instantly know how much rake you need to generate.
| Rake | Old Reward | New Reward |
|---|---|---|
| $3 | Nothing | $0.50 Power Path every day |
| $9 | 15% ($1.35) | $0.50 Power Path every day |
| $20 | 16% ($3.20) | 15% ($3) + $0.50 Power Path every day |
| $60 | 17.5% ($10.50) | 17.5% ($10.50) + $0.50 Power Path every day |
| $200 | 18.5% ($37) | 20% ($40) |
| $500 | 20% ($100) | 25% ($125) |
| $1,200 | 25% ($300) | 30% ($360) |
| $2,500 | 25% ($625) | 40% ($1,000) |
| $50,000/year | 25% ($12,500) | 50% ($25,000) |
| $100,000/year | 25% ($25,000) | Up to 60% ($60,000) |
Furthermore, all rewards are paid on cash; there will be no more tickets or StarsCoin bundled into the new rewards program. It's also easier to keep track of the rake and tournament fees you have paid because Reward Points are earned at a rate of 100 per $1 of rake regardless of the games you play and your reward level.
New Promotions in the Pipeline
Straghalis and his team informed PokerNews that PokerStars is revamping its promotions in addition to the rewards program. Those promotions are currently under wraps, although it was hinted that PokerStars will be moving away from traditional race races, especially for the more recreational player pool. All promotions will be separate from the cashback/rakeback players receive.
Before leaving us, Straghalis said the new rewards program stems from listening to players, and that listening will continue.
"Every iteration that we make is another step forward. We moved away from randomized chests to straight rakeback after player feedback. Players told us they didn't like rakeback challenges, so this is the next step forward.
“We will continue to engage with our players, continue to listen to them whether that's at our live events, throughout community insights group, through our Discord, or third-party forums. We're always listening. We're always wanting to do whatever we can for our players.”
Poker In The Ears Podcast Talks PokerStars Rewards
Ashley Chase, Associate Director of CRM and Loyalty, and Chris Straghalis, Director of Online Poker Experience, joined James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton on the popular Poker In The Ears Podcast. Episode 295 of the Global Poker Awards nominated podcast spent most of its 85-minute runtime discussing the nuances of the new-look PokerStars Rewards program.
You can listen to the full episode via Soundcloud or wherever you usually listen to podcasts.
