Some Changes at PokerStars

PokerStars Steve posted the following in a 2p2 thread:

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PokerStars would like to announce two changes to VIP Club Rewards effective October 1st. These changes are made after listening to input from players here on 2+2 and elsewhere.

Effective October 1st, VIP Reward Bonuses purchased from the VIP Store will instantly reward players with cash. In the past, players had to earn VPPs equal to 7 times the dollar amount of the bonus prior to the reward being credited to their account. This requirement will be removed.

Also, starting October 1st, NL and PL ring games at limits up to and including $0.05/$0.10 will earn VPPs at rates faster than other stakes. The new rates will last at least through December 31st, 2010.

$0.01/$0.02: 12X
$0.02/$0.05: 10X
$0.05/$0.10: 8X

These rates will be reflected at new tables created as of October 1st. Older tables awarding the previous VPP rates may still exist until the next server restart. Note that the 10X multiplier from the MicroMania promotion in July was continued unannounced and is still in effect, so the 'older' tables are awarding 10X VPPs.

NL/PL ring games at other stakes will continue to award VPPs as normal. All Fixed Limit games, including stakes that have been awarding 10X since July, will also award VPPs at normal rates. Some older Fixed Limit tables up to and including $0.10/$0.20 may continue to award VPPs at 10X until the next server restart. The normal VPP rates for ring games are:

8+ seats: 6X
7- seats: 5.5X

Thank you for your continued involvement in helping PokerStars to better serve their customers.

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What does this mean in terms of RB for the micros since stars has such a small rake as it is. I would think it would make the micros fairly profitable and worth playing since you no longer need to earn the gold and platinum levels and then clear the bonus

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Originally Posted by jyms

What does this mean in terms of RB for the micros since stars has such a small rake as it is. I would think it would make the micros fairly profitable and worth playing since you no longer need to earn the gold and platinum levels and then clear the bonus

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Stars raised their microstakes rake a month or two ago, so idk.

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Effective October 1st, VIP Reward Bonuses purchased from the VIP Store will instantly reward players with cash. In the past, players had to earn VPPs equal to 7 times the dollar amount of the bonus prior to the reward being credited to their account. This requirement will be removed.

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Fuck yeaaa! woot woot

I wonder if FTP is scuffling to fix their Black Card store now...you know, before its launch.

Does that mean rake back at 10nl is greater than at 25nl?

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Originally Posted by !Luck

Does that mean rake back at 10nl is greater than at 25nl?

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No...but it's pretty close


$0.05/$0.10 6M: 0.080VPP/hand FR: 0.055VPP/hand
$0.10/$0.25 6M: 0.126VPP/hand FR: 0.090VPP/hand

With the 8X multiplier instead of the 5.5X/6X
10nl 6m: .116
10nl FR: .0733

The math:

=(0.08*5.7)/5.5*8/5.7 for 6m (assuming most times for 6m you have 5.7 players on the table)
=(0.055*8.3)/6*8/8.3 for FR (assuming for FR, most times you have 8.3 ppl on the table)

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These rates will be reflected at new tables created as of October 1st. Older tables awarding the previous VPP rates may still exist until the next server restart. Note that the 10X multiplier from the MicroMania promotion in July was continued unannounced and is still in effect, so the 'older' tables are awarding 10X VPPs.

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Interestingly enough, currently it IS giving more RB than 25NL, atleast until the Oct. 1st server restart.


0.145/VPP hand for 6m 10NL
0.0916/VPP hand for FR 10NL

Good to know...thanks for posting.

Any 25nlers moving down to 10nl for the day to 20 table and hit platinum? :p

So let me get this right... they're offering 12 x VPP at 2nl tables... that should mean I will clear a bonus quicker, right? It's actually very tempting to fire up another $200 into my account and withdraw it come the end of my bonus period, even at 2nl I should clear most of this bonus with a 12x multiplier. I need to look into this promotion... Cheers for posting this Spoon.

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Originally Posted by OngBonga

So let me get this right... they're offering 12 x VPP at 2nl tables... that should mean I will clear a bonus quicker, right? It's actually very tempting to fire up another $200 into my account and withdraw it come the end of my bonus period, even at 2nl I should clear most of this bonus with a 12x multiplier. I need to look into this promotion... Cheers for posting this Spoon.

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Quicker than what? Quicker than before, yes. Quicker than 5nl, probably not.

Quicker than before.

12 times quicker than before. One clears a bonus on PokerStars based on FPP accumulation, no?

It took me around two months to clear my $23 deposit bonus, and when I completed it I didn't want to deposit any more real money in really, not for another bonus $20 or so anyway, but it would be worth the risk to boost my bankroll by a bonus $200, and if I can clear that bonus 12 times quicker than before, then I should clear it easily. That's the implications of a 12x VPP multiplier, isn't it?

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Originally Posted by OngBonga

Quicker than before.

12 times quicker than before. One clears a bonus on PokerStars based on FPP accumulation, no?

It took me around two months to clear my $23 deposit bonus, and when I completed it I didn't want to deposit any more real money in really, not for another bonus $20 or so anyway, but it would be worth the risk to boost my bankroll by a bonus $200, and if I can clear that bonus 12 times quicker than before, then I should clear it easily. That's the implications of a 12x VPP multiplier, isn't it?

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I think you misunderstand. It's not 12 times quicker than before. The 12x means that for every dollar in MGR you have, you will receive 12 VPPs. Previously it was 6x at 8+ seated games, and 5.5x for 7- seated games.

Ok yeah I misunderstand. I'm probably gonna go twice as fast. Still worth consideration, should still clear $50 or so at 2nl, maybe more if I step up, which I'm rolled for now.

Do you not need to clear FPP's and not VPP's for bonus's?

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Originally Posted by jyms

Do you not need to clear FPP's and not VPP's for bonus's?

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You use FPPs to buy the bonus, but you no longer have to clear the bonus after you buy it (which didn't cost any additional FPPs in the first place).

VPP, sorry I said FPP somewhere. They're pretty much the same, except you don't spend VPP, they just accumulate to work out your bonus status for the month/year. FPPs are just for buying into satellites or cashing in or getting a stupid baseball cap or whatever people do with them.

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Originally Posted by spoonitnow

You use FPPs to buy the bonus, but you no longer have to clear the bonus after you buy it (which didn't cost any additional FPPs in the first place).

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Yea, I meant for the bonus he was already clearing.

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$0.01/$0.02: 12X
$0.02/$0.05: 10X
$0.05/$0.10: 8X

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I guess I'll go ahead and figure out the rakeback rates for everybody.

For 2nl, $1 in MGR gives you 12 VPPs. That's 12 FPPs for BronzeStar, 18 FPPs for SilverStar, and 24 FPPs for GoldStar.

For 5nl, $1 in MGR gives you 10 VPPs, which is 10/15/20 FPPs for Bronze/Silver/Gold, respectively.

For 10nl, $1 in MGR gives you 8 VPPs, or 8/12/16 FPPs for Bronze/Silver/Gold, etc.

Your options for exchanging your FPPs varies. Here are some of the things you can get at different levels:

$25 for 2500 FPPs (SilverStar), 1 FPP = $0.0100
$50 for 4500 FPPs (SilverStar), 1 FPP = $0.0111
$150 gas card for 12000 FPPs (SilverStar), 1 FPP = $0.0125
$300 for 25000 FPPs (GoldStar), 1 FPP = $0.0120

Save them for later in your career for the better stuff, 1 FPP = up to $0.0167

So suppose you're a SilverStar who plans to play 5nl and get the $50 for 4500 FPPs. Then for every $1 in MGR, you're getting 15 FPPs, which is worth 15 * $0.0111 = $0.1665. Then you're getting 16.65% rakeback.

Or for another, example, say you're a GoldStar who is playing 10nl and plan to use your FPPs on the $300 for 25000 FPPs. For every $1 in MGR you have, you'll be getting 16 FPPs which is worth 16 * $0.0120 = $0.1920, or 19.2% rakeback.

Your best option is still to just save your FPPs and use them later when you can exchange them at a better rate.

I intend to start using my FPPs to buy into the UK/Ireland FPP League MTT, it has a prize pool of $100 for a buy in of 25 FPP, normally attracting around 100 players, so I figure my 25 FPP is worth a dollar, or $0.04 each, and that's before we account for prizes for making the monthly leaderboard. I was gonna start up with that tomorrow, 1st day of the month.

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Originally Posted by OngBonga

I intend to start using my FPPs to buy into the UK/Ireland FPP League MTT, it has a prize pool of $100 for a buy in of 25 FPP, normally attracting under 100 players, so I figure my 25 FPP is worth a dollar, or $0.04 each, and that's before we account for prizes for making the monthly leaderboard. I was gonna start up with that tomorrow, 1st day of the month.

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check back through the months it was somewhere between feb and april i think but i finished in the top 10 when i did that. something like 750fpps to enter and ended up with something like 10$ of winnings and 40$ for 6th place in the league.

Ha you quoted me before I edited! I said under 100 players, I meant around 100 players. I reckon I have enough points now to cover an attack on the October leaderboard (I got around 750 and will earn more through the month) along with the $1 buy in league that's runs alongside it. Hopefully I can do well enough to make the final leaderboard, but so long as I get a return off my points, it won't be a waste of time. I'd hope to get a return higher than $0.02 per point.

well , i did it on the basis that the 100th place for something like 10$ of bonus was regularly getting about 28 points a that stage, so enter every day and could almost guarantee 10$ for 750 points which was a better rate than the 50$ bonus.

:shits pants: