Joined: May '09
Location: India
Age: 37 (M)
Posts: 4873
The answer is that Pokerstars does not offer rakeback. Pokerstars offers an internal VIP program which is equivalent to a rakeback. In fact for a few ultra-high volume players, the implied rakeback at pokerstars is higher than anywhere else.
Joined: Oct '08
Location: Germany
Age: 49 (M)
Posts: 2025
not quite true. you gotta be very good/active and rake alot then you can get rakeback. for average players (not pointing on you lol) its as good as impossible though. you dont have to be a known pro anyways..
Joined: Jun '09
Location: Romania
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Posted by SuperNoob: The answer is that Pokerstars does not offer rakeback. Pokerstars offers an internal VIP program which is equivalent to a rakeback. In fact for a few ultra-high volume players, the implied rakeback at pokerstars is higher than anywhere else.
Joined: May '09
Location: India
Age: 37 (M)
Posts: 4873
I found this on a website, so don't know how much of it is true as i don't use pokerstars. Please confirm it from some other source. ....................................................................................
The way it works is not totally transparent and you need to dig into the details to find out exactly what is going on. Pokerstars VIP system is based on Frequent Player Points (FPP) and VIP Points (VPP).
The first thing to understand is how FPP work. You earn FPP by playing in "qualifying" real money hands. FPP can be gained by playing in cash games, sit'n gos or multi-table tournaments that require paying fee.
For all cash games with big blind equal to or below $2, one FPP is awarded anytime you play in a hand where the rake has reached $0.40. As the rake is taken in increment of 5%, this corresponds to a pot of $8. You need to see the flop otherwise no rakeback is given at pokerstars.
This $0.40 rule also applies to all heads-up table. For all other games with higher blinds, i.e. starting at $4 big blind, the rake must reach $1 for one FPP to be distributed. A second FPP can be distributed when the rake reaches $2 for 6-max games or $3 for other tables. Finally a third FPP might be disbursed if the rake attains $5.
With respect to tournaments, five FPP credits are awarded for each $1 paid in tournament fees. This number might be rounded up or down in special situations.
There are 6 VIP levels at PokerStars defined by how many FPP you accumulate per month, or per year for the two highest levels. At the bottom is the Bronze level, then Silver (1,200 FPPs/month), Gold (3,000 FPPs/month), Platinum (7,500 FPPs/month), SuperNova (100,000 FPPs/year) and SuperNova Elite (1,000,000 FPPs/year).
The real money is in the VPP which are rewarded by using a multiplier to your FPP. For example at the lower level, the Bronze level you get the same amount of VPPs as FPPs. At the Silver level, you get 1.5 VPP for each FPP. Gold gives you twice as many VPPs as FPPs. Platinum is 2.5 VPPs per FPP. For SuperNova, the multiplier is 3.5. For SuperNova Elite, it is the maximum 5.
VPPs are what really matter as you can exchange them against gifts or even cash. If you are a SuperNova, you can exchange 250,000 VPPs against $4k. The highest level is SuperNova Elite and there are only about one or two hundred players reaching this level every year. The total of all benefits once you reach this level exceeds $100k. This program is clearly geared toward the online players who can put up massive hours of play. The equivalent rakeback increases incrementally, and the highest volume players get a much higher rakeback rate than the rest Generally speaking, it is estimated that the rakeback is around 15% at the lowest level, but it can surpass 50% or even 75% for the ultra-high volume players who get also special milestones cash bonuses.
Posted by SuperNoob: The answer is that Pokerstars does not offer rakeback. Pokerstars offers an internal VIP program which is equivalent to a rakeback. In fact for a few ultra-high volume players, the implied rakeback at pokerstars is higher than anywhere else.
Joined: Dec '08
Location: France
Age: 38 (M)
Posts: 7
Posted by DaneMitic:
Posted by 0mblad0n:
Posted by SuperNoob: The answer is that Pokerstars does not offer rakeback. Pokerstars offers an internal VIP program which is equivalent to a rakeback. In fact for a few ultra-high volume players, the implied rakeback at pokerstars is higher than anywhere else.
Joined: May '08
Location: Germany
Age: 59 (M)
Posts: 6786
There is no real rakeback at stars. The VIP program gives you some money back, but it is only usefull for players who play a lot or really high stakes.
