The Stars VIP Guessing Game

[Unabridged]

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Everyone knows you can take your 3600 FPP over to the 1-table sit-n-go to get into the $530 every month. You could unregister from that and take the 530 T$.


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[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[FlyWf]

You can use T$ to play sitngos, turning FPP into $ in 3 difficult and time consuming steps!. It's a good idea for SNG and MTT players, but for a ring game player 1) They'll likely be underskilled at the T$ satellite(meaning more FPP and more hours per win) and 2) They'll likely be bad at the actual SNGs or MTTs you can enter with $T, which means fewer real $ per T$.
It's possible it's still worth it from an hourly rate consideration, even an atrocious SNG player playing $5 SNGs would make a decent amount if they got to play for essentially free. Say 8 hours per T$ sat win, breakeven SNGery at the $6turbos playing 6 an hour= $22/hr. So you can turn ~35k FPP into ~$530 with ~20 hours of work, with the possibility of doing better if you can breakeven at a higher SNG level. Yay?

[SomethingClever]

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It's a good idea for SNG and MTT players, but for a ring game player 1) They'll likely be underskilled at the T$ satellite(meaning more FPP and more hours per win) and 2) They'll likely be bad at the actual SNGs or MTTs you can enter with $T, which means fewer real $ per T$.

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Again, bingo.

I like cool stuff as much as the next guy, and I expect that the FPP store will be vastly improved, but for limit grinders, FPP tourneys are a waste of time.

As are buy-ins to events like the WSOP where we'd pretty much be dead money.

[MicroBob]

You really don't have to be that good a tourney player to be slightly-above dead-money in a major tournament.

Top 10% usually cashes.

I made the money in my very first tournament...although this was the party-cruise with an extremely flat pay-out structure (top 180 out of 735 got paid).


Obviously you're not very interested in entries to major tourneys which is fine.
Just disputing the notion that you would be completely dead-money.
anyone who plays SNG's or MTT's online and is half-decent would have a shot of making the money at the WSOP or other major tourneys.

[SomethingClever]

I know, I'm just exaggerating to make a point. Stars is just so focused on tournament players that I think they're overlooking straight cash game players a bit.

I'm actually not terrible at tournaments, but I really don't have the patience for them.

[MicroBob]

I suspect there will be other prizes available for purchase that are not major tourney entries.


Since the previous e-mail said it would be announced with the next few days why is everyone speculating on it.

i'm excited too and I hope it is a favorable structure for me to spend a LOT of time there earning FPP's (major-tourney entries are VERY attractive to me). But we'll find out all the details in the next few days (hopefully) and then will decide from there whether it's a program worthy of bringing our play over there...or not.


I'm not going to make a judgement about whether I'm definitely or probably or probably not bringing my ring-game play over to Stars before I know ANY of the details.

Even if the prizes and FPP structure looks favorable that STILL won't be enough to get me to stay there...because if I go in pursuit of FPP's and then all the tables are nothing but you TAG's and I'm getting clobbered (because I suck) then I'll go running back to wherever I can find more fish if that's what I think is best....FPP-prizes be damned, I need the tables to be profitable in my inept little hands too.


my HOPES are that the prizes are realistically attainable AND the games are profitable enough for me.
but I don't know if there's a 20% chance of that happening or an 80% chance.
We'll see.

[ClaytonN]

Bob, stop being the voice of reason. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

I emailed Pokerstars a few months back and basically made the argument they should NOT offer rakeback. The reason being that Pokerstars has a very low rake on limit games (relative to the other major players) and I would like to preserve the status quo.

For some confounded reason I suspect there is a 'catch' here of some sort. When I wrote the email mentioned above, they told me I was "definately in the minority" and the only people who agreed with me were management. The vast majority of player remarks were (allegedly) in favor of a rakeback program.

I just hope it isn't rakeback with increased rakes, rakeback with increased sit & go/tournament juice, or (as Microbob pointed out) rakeback with a massive boost in twoplustwo TAG's. As it is, they already slightly adjusted the rake on the microlimits (ex. taking rake in dollar increments on .25/.50 and adding juice on low buy-in tournaments such $3 plus .30).

It seems counterintuitive, but I actually HOPE the VIP plan is geared towards people who play high limits and excludes people like me. I just suspect the profitability of my games could dramatically be reduced. Maybe I'm wrong and it could be the new scheme could be lucrative inspite of attracting more TAG's.

I wrote Pokerstars an email and they wouldn't comment. They just told me I'd be impressed. I won't be impressed if there's a clever attempt to increase rake imbedded in the new plan. Also, I won't be impressed if Pokerstars is inundated with a massive number of savvy 2plus2'ers.

All this being said, I love Pokerstars and hope it continues to deliver the highest quality online poker in the business.

JeffreyREBT "Wherein I don't promise to make you rich without trying, or even trying very hard; I do promise to say things that will make you FEEL rich."

[Arnfinn Madsen]

Bob,
Dont you ever touch your presents before Christmas eve? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Shoe]

[ QUOTE ]
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It's a good idea for SNG and MTT players, but for a ring game player 1) They'll likely be underskilled at the T$ satellite(meaning more FPP and more hours per win) and 2) They'll likely be bad at the actual SNGs or MTTs you can enter with $T, which means fewer real $ per T$.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, bingo.

I like cool stuff as much as the next guy, and I expect that the FPP store will be vastly improved, but for limit grinders, FPP tourneys are a waste of time.

As are buy-ins to events like the WSOP where we'd pretty much be dead money.

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Perhaps they could offer something like free vacations, such as free airfare/hotel to Vegas so that you can go there to play live ring games or just have a blast doing something else.

I would think Stars could send enough people to find a hotel in Vegas that would make a good deal with them.