PokerStars has rolled out a revamped Stars Rewards loyalty scheme and already some players aren’t happy.
After a local launch in Italy last week, Stars Rewards 2.0 went live across PokerStars’ global network on March 27. Although the fundamentals remain the same, the updated system will feature fewer chests but greater rewards.
Same Structure, New Conditions
The main differences players will notice when they next log in to PokerStars are:
- Red and platinum bonus chests have been removed.
- Diamond and black chests have been introduced.
- The minimum value of a single chest is now fixed at $0.50.
- The top reward has been reduced from $1,000 to $700.
- There is now a greater chance of hitting a higher value reward.
- Players have to earn 10 chests over a 28-day rolling period to move up a level instead of four chests per day.
As it’s been in the past, the exact rakeback percentage players can achieve aren’t obvious. Because bonus chests don’t have a fixed value, players could receive rewards at the upper or lower end of each range.
To help dissect the new system, Pokerfuse crunched the numbers. Taking the potential payouts and their associated probabilities, the media outlet has calculated the average value of a chest.
As per the latest data, blue chests have a fixed value of $0.50. At the top tier, black chests are worth $70.
Revamped Stars Rewards Divides Community
The main issue for players is that the bets-to-points ratio isn’t uniform. In other words, earning the necessary points to unlock a chest will vary based on a player’s status, game choices and stakes.
Testing out the system, a number of players have offered their take on the new Stars Rewards. While some have criticized the lack of actual rakeback, TwoPlusTwo member jdawg91 has already won a $1,000 mystery prize.
Any time an online poker operator introduces a major update, there is always a certain amount of discontent. However, for PokerStars, the latest round of consternation comes just a few weeks after it upset MTT players.
In an effort to make cuts, the industry leader reduced MTT rake contributions. Instead of $1 in tournament rake generating 100 Stars Rewards points, players now earn 45.
Off the back of the policy change, high stakes players arranged a boycott, giving Partypoker a chance to steal some traffic. The danger for PokerStars is that the latest change will give its rival another chance to pounce.
Over the last few weeks, the two operators have been battling for dominance in the site and go arena. However, with Partypoker introducing top-end rakeback of 60 percent in February, the stage could be set for another value-based showdown.
