How do I get rewarded?
Accumulating Frequent Player Points is as easy as playing poker. When you play at
pokerstars, you earn points for each qualifying raked hand you play in our cash games, and for every tournament fee you pay in our multi-table or Sit & Go tournaments. These points are the building blocks of the VIP Club. There are two different types of points:
- VIP Player Points (VPPs)
- Frequent Player Points (FPPs)
VPPs are there only to measure your VIP level and can’t be redeemed. FPPs have value and can be used to enter tournaments, purchase items from the VIP store, or exchange to cash.
Each time you earn one VPP you will also earn one or more FPPs based on your VIP level. For example, if you are a Supernova player you will earn 3.5 FPPs for each VPP (see more details below).
How do I earn VPPs?
You earn points by playing in PokerStars games which have a rake or fee.
In PokerStars tournaments, you earn points based on the entry fee. You receive VPPs at the rate of 5.5 VPPs (and corresponding FPPs) for each $1.00 USD in fee paid, or 8 VPPs (and corresponding FPPs) for each €1.00 EUR in fee paid. Fractional VPPs will be awarded in hundredths.
- For example, if you play a tournament which costs $10+$1 to enter, $10 goes into the prize pool, and $1 is the entry fee. You earn 5.5 VPPs for each $1 USD in entry fees, so you would receive 5.5 VPPs for playing this event.
- In a $5 buy-in Sit & Go poker tournament with a $0.50 entry fee, 2.75 VPPs will be awarded to each player who played in the tournament.
- Playing in a €5 buy-in tournament with a €0.50 entry fee will earn you 4 VPPs.
Please note that "Play Money" and "Freeroll" tournaments do not charge a cash fee, so do not award VPPs.
In PokerStars cash games, VPPs (and corresponding FPPs) are awarded based on the amount of “rake” taken from each hand played.
CASH TABLES WITH 8 OR MORE SEATS
These VPP earning rules apply to all cash tables with 8 or more seats, no matter how many players are actually seated or dealt in.
VPPs at these tables are based on the total rake collected at the table and the total number of players dealt into the hand. VPPs at these tables are awarded at the rate of 6 VPPs for each $1.00 USD in rake collected or 8.5 VPPs for each €1.00 EUR in rake collected. The total VPPs for that hand are then divided equally among the players who were dealt into that hand. Fractional VPPs will be awarded in hundredths. Here are some examples:
Example 1: In a $3/$6 No Limit Hold’em game, nine players are dealt in, and the rake is $3.00. With $3.00 USD rake, 18 total VPPs are awarded. Each of the nine players would receive 2.00 VPPs.
Example 2: In a $3/$6 No Limit Hold’em game with nine seats, five players are dealt in, and the rake is $3.00. With $3.00 USD rake, 18 total VPPs are awarded. Each of the five players would receive 3.60 VPPs.
Example 3: In a €0.25/€0.50 No Limit Hold’em game with nine seats, six players are dealt in and the rake is €0.30. With €0.30 EUR rake, 2.55 VPPs would be awarded. Each of the six players dealt into the hand would receive 0.43 VPPs.
Example 4: In a €0.25/€0.50 No Limit Hold’em game with nine seats, nine players are dealt in and the rake is €0.30. With €0.30 EUR rake, 2.55 VPPs would be awarded. Each of the nine players dealt in would receive 0.28 VPPs.
CASH TABLES WITH 7 OR FEWER SEATS
These VPP earning rules apply to all tables that have seven or fewer seats, no matter how many players are actually seated or dealt in.
VPPs at these tables are also based on the total rake collected at the table and the total number of players dealt into the hand. VPPs at these tables are awarded at the rate of 5.5 VPPs for each $1.00 in rake collected or 8 VPPs for each €1.00 rake collected. The total VPPs for that hand are then divided equally among the players who were dealt into that hand. Fractional VPPs will be awarded in hundredths. Here are some examples:
Example 1: In a $2/$4 ‘6 max’ No Limit Hold’em game, six players are dealt in, and the rake is $3.00. With $3.00 USD rake, 16.5 total VPPs are awarded. Each of the six players would receive 2.75 VPPs.
Example 2: In a $2/$4 ‘6 max’ No Limit Hold’em game, five players are dealt in, and the rake is $3.00. With $3.00 USD rake, 16.5 total VPPs are awarded. Each of the five players would receive 3.30 VPPs.
Example 3: In a €0.10/€0.25 ‘6 max’ No Limit Hold’em game, six players are dealt in and the rake is €0.30. With €0.30 EUR rake, 2.4 VPPs would be awarded. Each of the six players dealt into the hand would receive 0.4 VPPs.
Example 4: In a €0.10/€0.25 ‘6 max’ No Limit Hold’em game, four players are dealt in and the rake is €0.30. With €0.30 EUR rake, 2.4 VPPs would be awarded. Each of the four players dealt in would receive 0.6 VPPs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In all cash ring games, points are credited at the end of a hand. So if you leave a table before the hand is completed, you may not receive the VPP for that hand. To ensure that you are properly credited, please ‘Sit Out’ until the start of the next hand, and then leave the table.
How many FPPs do I earn for each VPP?
The higher your bonus level, the more bonus FPPs you receive. The table below shows how you can reach higher VIP levels and how many FPPs you earn for each VPP at each level.
EXAMPLE 1: A
BronzeStar VIP plays in a qualified raked hand. He earns 1 VPP and at the same time earns 1 matching FPP. If this player was a
GoldStar VIP and earned 1 VPP, he'd earn not 1, but
2 FPPs for playing this hand.
EXAMPLE 2: A
PlatinumStar VIP plays in a $50+$5 tournament. He earns 5.5 VPP per $1 in fee, so the $5 fee awards
27.5 VPP. As a PlatinumStar VIP he receives 2.5 FPPs for each VPP so he would receive
68.75 FPPs for playing this event.
EXAMPLE 3: A
SilverStar VIP plays in a raked cash game hand for which
2 VPP are awarded. As a SilverStar VIP he receives 1.5 FPPs for each VPP, so he would receive
3 FPP for playing this hand.
EXAMPLE 4: A
Supernova VIP plays in the Sunday Million, which costs $200+$15 to play. She earns 5.5 VPP per $1 in fees, so the $15 fee awards
82.5 VPP. As a Supernova VIP she receives 3.5 FPPs for each VPP, so she would receive
288.75 FPP for playing this event.
EXAMPLE 5: A
SilverStar VIP plays in a raked hand in a €0.02/€0.04 Pot Limit Omaha game with a rake taken of €0.25 and eight players dealt into the hand. With a rake of €0.25, a total of 2.13 VPPs are awarded, so each of the eight players receives
0.27 VPP (0.26625 rounded off). A SilverStar VIP would receive 1.5 FPP for each VPP, so would be credited with
0.41 FPP for playing this hand.
How can I check my VIP Status?
From the PokerStars game lobby, open the
Cashier window. From there, click on
VIP Status. A window will open which will tell you how many VPPs you have earned this month, how many VPPs you have earned this year, and will give you details on how many VPPs you need to reach the next VIP level.
How can I check my FPP balance?
To check your FPP balance, open the PokerStars game lobby and click on
Cashier. Your current
Frequent Player Points balance will be displayed in the Cashier window. Please note that FPPs only expire if you do not earn any FPPs within one full calendar year. For instance, if you earn any Frequent Player Points in the year 2010, your FPPs will not expire that year. However, if you earn no FPPs in the 2011 calendar year, your FPPs will expire on December 31, 2011.
