Party Snowball @ RTR

[Jessica1]

Hi Guys

Thanks for all the input

Obviously this is only our first month. Actually we are now running it in conjunction with two other affilites in order to make the prizes grow bigger faster. (We are looking for more partners in case they are reading this...we will be sending out an invitation to all affiliates soon...but they should contact us before then by all means)

The Snowball scheme is a new animal and therefore is an ever-changing one.

We have now introduced a minimum hand requirement for subsequent months (we can track this through Party...so no need for individual trackers). As time goes on and numbers build up we will tailor the requirement for a number of different tournaments where players who rake more hands will be able to play in all tournaments compared to those who only play a small number of hands being able to play in maybe one tournament.

The scheme is doing well so far and any player who signs up with an account in Novemeber will be offered good value in terms of the first tournament which currently stands at over $4k.

On the subject of WSOP seats vs Cash, that concept is more for the future. We always want to offer tournaments where there is a good spread of prizes. We know that 500 people will not want to play a tournament (for a first prize of a WSOP seat) only to come second and win sweet nothing!

We are always looking for input from players but we cannot please all of the people all of the time!

The biggest problem we face at the moment is the misconception that bigger players earn no real value from join the scheme. The truth is that by joining the scheme they get access to the tournaments and cash prizes and they also get cash rewards from the Party VIP team as well...which is a return on the rake paid/hands played. The key thing is that this is a legitimate scheme sanctioned by Party. Players who do get rakeback from an affiliate for Party have been effectively grandfathered in...but new players run the risk of seeing their affiliate shut down if Party find them issuing new codes

Anyhow...like i said Snowball is a new scheme and open to changes and suggestions...it will in time become a scheme which reflects the individual's play across volume and time.

regards

Jess
RakeTheRake

[1p0kerb0y]

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Anyhow...like i said Snowball is a new scheme and open to changes and suggestions...it will in time become a scheme which reflects the individual's play across volume and time.



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It is a GREAT idea with a few flaws. But surely you realize the importance of getting this thing moving as quickly as possible. Many players are in a "transitional" period since the 'skins got cut off. Some players are looking to join Party and are doing so through other unapproved mediums.

You are unlikely to get serious players to sign up when you say things that lead the readers to think that you are going to "design this as you go". Rather, it would be good if everybody knew specifically what you were planning. In other words, the uncertainty of the program is going to lead many players to sign up at other affiliates through unapproved programs because they are no more unstable than the snowball.

High MGR players (of which right now I am not but could easily become) obviously lose value by joining this, but would easily be offset if the follwing comes true:

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As time goes on and numbers build up we will tailor the requirement for a number of different tournaments where players who rake more hands will be able to play in all tournaments compared to those who only play a small number of hands being able to play in maybe one tournament.


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Can you explain more of what you have in mind here?

BTW I have some interest in signing up through this program.

[MicroBob]

Hi Jessica -


you seem to have some creative ideas for your different sites and I certainly appreciate the creativity and effort.

However, I am just not interested in playing a ton on party just for a freeroll tournament (that I may or may not be available for).
Regardless of whether you straightened out the structure so that I would be getting full value for my play this would not be an incentive for me.


For may others in might be for all I know.

If I had the option of just getting SOMETHING back directly then I would go for that.
For example, if you have MGR of $15k then you get a $12k package to the major tournament of your choice (WSOP main-event included of course).
I don't know if Party would consider this to be too close to rake-back to sanction it. But if this were available then I would be likely cranking out the hands.

Or....play 100k raked-hands at 10/20 (or 120k raked-hands at 5/10...or whatever an appropriate rate would be...haven't bothered to figure out the math) and get a $12k WSOP package (that would include travel and hotel of course).


If you an affiliate had that and it was approved by Party I would strongly consider pursuing that goal.

I'm hoping the Stars VIP club perhaps does something like this (at an appropriate value per hand) but that remains to be seen.


Just my suggestion and 2-cents worth.


Continue to think creatively Jessica. You seem to be doing a good job of trying to come up with innovative ways to attract customers.

(one other note - you might want to consider removing the pokershare option from your list of available sites)

[1p0kerb0y]

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However, I am just not interested in playing a ton on party just for a freeroll tournament

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then you get a $12k package to the major tournament of your choice

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Do you see how these statements are sort of close to contradicting each other?

I understand the difference, because the latter is more like a vacation WITH a tournament (and live at that). However, the rewards are close to being the same: a poker tournament valued at how much MGR you contributed.

Edit: and yes, the juice definitely needs to be lowered.

[MicroBob]

i'm not interested in playing in an online-tourney at the beginning of the next month.

what if i'm not available at that time? sundays aren't very good for me through much of the year yet this is when many of the big online-tourneys would be held because it's the best day for other people.

if i can't make the online-tourney then i get zero value there.


You are correct that the major difference is the fact that it's a tourney AND a vacation.
I am attracted to the big, live tourneys and would like to play in 2 or 3 per year (WSOP, Europe, Bahamas or Party Cruise, etc).
If an affiliate sets it up so that this is a realistic possibility just through high-volume play then I will strongly consider going there.



The others are correct in their observations regarding the unfairness of the structure.
If I played a lot there then I am essentially paying more to enter the tourney than some of my opponents.
There is virtually no incentive for a high-volume 20/40 player to play more hands there than the very minimum.


I do hope Jessica re-thinks this idea and comes up with something better.
That's up to her though of course. If she doesn't then I, as a customer, will seek out the plan that suits me best.



To the person that gave the idea of getting X number of $100 tourneys per X amount of MGR contributed.
That's a better idea than how it is currently set up...but this still wouldn't attract me as I just wouldn't be interested in trying to get into tourney after tourney just to try to get my own MGR back (at least, that's how I would look at it).

[Jessica1]

Hi MicroBob

Valuable points and thanks for the input.

Of course whilst we are figuring out the exact science on this project the scheme is still a valuable benefit to the big volume player who wants to play on Party as follows:

If you are a high volume player and want to sign up at Party without an affiliate you can do so and then you can contact VIP services at Party who will offer you vairous incentives as found in other threads.

If the same high roller signs up to Party through The Snowball Scheme they will still get the same incentives from VIP services but they will also be entered in to the various tournaments that the scheme offers.
Initially a $4,000 tournament or even more might not be attractive to a high volume player...afterall they can make a lot more playing ring games in two hours than the potential $1500 first prize. However as time goes on and the prizes become a mixture of cash and live tournament packages, the value dramatically increases and all this time they have still been rewarded by VIP services.

Hope that stacks up.

yours

Jess
RTR